Ugly
by Angkeats
Summary: Gabriella Montez is scarred in a jealous attack from her biggest rival, Sharpay Evans and is bullied as a result. Troy Bolton is determined to take her to the Easter Ball-but will she go? And will she be accepted?
1. Do you have a date?

Hey all, thank you for following me to my new story (or welcome if you're a new reader!) and thank you for the comments from before.

I know the end disappointed some of you and I can see why; so I'm sorry for that. I know I'm not always 'on it' as much as I'd like to be.

Still this is an older story so forgive me any mishaps, I'm getting there :)

Love always (flakegirl taught me that)

Ang

**CHAPTER 1**

Gabriella Montez didn't have a date to the mixed Easter ball. She didn't have a date because she was ugly. Oh, her family might say kind things and try and tell her otherwise, but she knew the plain truth.

Her face was ugly.

The ball was three weeks away. It seemed like a lifetime but the whole of East High School for Girls had been talking about it since Christmas. 'What dress shall I wear?' 'What shoes?'- they were questions Gabriella had heard over and over; never being part of those shallow conversations and never being invited into them.

She walked the halls hugging her books to her chest, her long, black, curly hair covering her face the best she could arrange it. Even then, she still heard the whispers and the comments directed at her.

'Look at her…'

'Here comes scar-face…'

She knew who they were; the people that talked about her. And everybody seemed to know her. Everybody knew Gabriella Montez, the ugliest girl in school.

/

Troy Bolton lit a cigarette and cupped it under his fingers to disguise his activity, the high gate of the school housing him from the sight of the teachers. Every break he and Chad snuck out for a smoke, sharing naughty smiles and cawing at their courage.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen Gabriella as she walked home while he enjoyed his last smoke of the day, before having to walk home too. West High Boys School was situated about half a mile from East High and the two schools-and sexes- were kept separate as much as possible.

Every now and then the Principals would set up social events to allow them to 'mix' but even then, they were chaperoned heavily. The latest was the Easter Ball. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone had a date.

Everyone except Troy.

He pushed away from the gate and trailed the small Latina, intrigued by her fast walk, her hunched shoulders and the way she covered her face with her hair.

"Hey, hold up…" He called eventually.

"Stop following me." She didn't turn around and he felt like he had scared her.

"I'm not…" He frowned, taking a drag of his cigarette. "I'm not following you. We walk the same way home every night."

"Then why speak to me tonight?" She turned and he caught a glimpse of her face, only the very tip of her arched cheek and a flash of her black, black lashes. Her brown eyes- or the one eye that he could see- spoke of a very deep pain. The other side of her face was hidden, protected. She tipped it away, not wanting him to see.

"Because I wanted to ask you something." He answered easily, stepping up to her, blowing out his smoke toward her, then wincing as she coughed and fanned her hand in front of her face.

"Then do it quickly before you die of lung cancer." She barbed.

He looked at the last quarter of his smoke and took a sigh. He'd never give up the last three drags for anything normally but he figured this was worth the loss. He dropped the burning tobacco and twisted his toe on the ground to put it out.

He licked his lips. "Do you have a date to the ball?"

/

Gabriella didn't even bother replying. Some people's idea of fun was beyond her realm of understanding but the cruelness of some hurt her beyond words. Why would he do a thing like that?

Because he thought he was cool? Just because he wore a hooded sports jacket and smoked cigarettes did not mean he had the right to humiliate her like that.

"Hey!" He was still following her and she began to run.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" She felt the tears wash down her face and she panicked at the thought of her make-up melting.

"Gabriella…" He stopped, calling her by her name.

She gasped, stumbling to a standstill, turning her wide eyes on his, the chocolate depths reflecting her shock.

"How..?" She went to ask, and then smiled wryly. Who didn't know her name? It had been all over the newspapers. When she had become the misfit she was, they had published her weakness for everyone to see.

Troy squinted through his lashes. "At least give me a chance."

She squinted back, self consciously grooming her hair forward as he looked into her face.

"How do I know you're for real?" She asked.

His eyes were blue like the sky she noted. They bored into hers with intensity. She waited for his reply, the one that would win her over.

"You have to trust me." He replied.

/

Trusting was not something Gabriella did lightly. It was not something she was accustomed to giving; or experiencing. She didn't trust anyone. She couldn't. Whenever she had made the mistake of trusting anyone, they stabbed her in the back.

The girls' school was a boarding school, but there were a limited amount of students who attended as day students, Gabriella being one of them. Her father was a renowned doctor which gave her special privileges but that didn't exactly go in her favour, either. She didn't want to be one of those who stayed there every night, week after week; she would be torn to pieces if that happened. But she didn't look forward to going home every night, either.

Her father worked long hours, gaining good pay and a good reputation; so much so that she didn't feel like she could complain. But since her scarring, she felt like she had been abandoned. And she had. Her mother had walked out a year ago when she could no longer look Gabriella in the face and call her pretty.

And her father had felt he'd failed by not being able to 'fix' her. So the empty, cold house she came home to was a living enactment of the loss in her young life. She had no-one to care.

Troy had gone home after she had asked him to leave. She was frightened and bewildered and nothing made sense to her about his approach.

He had never spoken to her before, why now? Why ask her about the dance? Wasn't it obvious she didn't have a date? Didn't everyone know why she was treated like a leper?

She took deep, desperate breaths as she grasped the basin in the hall lavatory and stared into the mirror. Slowly she pulled back the hood from her coat, and then she swallowed, peeling back her hair to reveal her face.

Jagged, criss crossed, uneven lines patchworked the entire right side of her face, sprawling toward her nose, skimming her upper lip and stretching to her ear. Her upper lip pulled up a little in that corner and she watched the reflection with a sorrowful gaze, blinking to erase the image from her mind.

Who would want to dance with her looking like that? No-one. Troy couldn't be trusted. He was part of the game.


	2. Puff

**CHAPTER 2**

"You're breathing your smoke on me." Gabriella accused crossly as she pulled her hood up over her head, securing her veil of hair over her face.

"You don't like smokers, huh." Troy deduced, taking another drag on his ciggie as he jumped down from the wall where he had been sitting, waiting.

"Your dad is the P.E. teacher, does he know you smoke?" She asked with interest.

"I doubt he'd notice." Troy's words struck a chord with her, one that she didn't want to feel.

"You're like a little dragon, puffing smoke…_#Puff the magic dragon, lived by the sea…#_" She sang in perfect harmony, shocking him.

"Wow." He lifted his brows, looking to her.

"What?" She asked, genuinely clueless.

"You're like Ariel the singing mermaid." He commented.

"What, beautiful voice, ugly face?" She guessed cynically, striding away.

She made it to lunch break without anything being put in her hair. She'd avoided the 'accidental' kicks; dodged the spitting and closed out the names. All she had to now was explain to her father how she'd come to have spilt a quarter of iodine down her shirt.

"You know Gabriella…" Sharpay, the blonde queen bitch began as Gabi collected her lunch tray. "You were _so _much more fun when you were pretty." The girls with her sniggered as she stalked off, her slim hips swaying from side to side in her short pleated skirt, reminding Gabriella of her own less trendy clothes.

She slipped her earphones into her ears and turned on her IPod, blocking out the outer world and hiding in her inner safety net.

/

"You are the bomb, Troy." Chad clapped him on the back as he handed him a pack of 20 Marlborough's.

"Hey, don't shout it out." Troy reminded him with a quick brow jig. Truth was, that was his packet but now that Gabriella made her dislike clear, he would try not to smoke around her. He just wished he knew what to say to get her to talk to him.

"Hey, you asked anyone yet, bro?" Chad asked of his ball date.

"What do you know about Gabriella Montez?" Troy asked back.

Chad looked surprised. "She got scarred. Pretty bad."

"I know that," Troy rolled his eyes. "I mean something about _her_. What is she _like?_"

"Dude, you got your pick of the whole school, you don't need to be slumming it with the Beast from 'Beauty and'. Sharpay is hot for you. She has a tight ass and blonde hair down to here…" Chad put his hand sideways to his hip.

Troy nodded as they cruised the hallways, knowing he had power here, feeling his authority. People moved out of his way. No-one dared make fun of him for his dad being a teacher. His dad was fearsome and they held a quiet respect for Troy, thinking he was born of the same steel.

Nobody had worked out that he wasn't. He was quiet, gentle, and inwardly confident; but he wasn't like his father.

"She's not a beast, Chad." He said, agitated at his friends response. He couldn't have a decent conversation with Chad of he tried.

"Hey, you take one look at that face and you'll feel sick, bro. I know it. She knows it. Don't do it to yourself."

Troy sighed as his friend left for class. Just what had Gabriella done to deserve everyone's hate?

/

"If you follow me, I'm calling my dad." Gabriella warned as Troy leaned up off the outside school gate as he waited for her to appear.

"I've followed you every night for a year." He remarked.

"That's creepy." She frowned. He chuckled at her joke and she felt a warm shot dive down her chest.

"I see myself as your protector." He teased back, allowing a smile to stretch across his mouth.

She tensed at this, knowing she wasn't safe, even when she left school. She had been followed a few times. She'd been taunted; sometimes provoked. And he was right. He _had _been right behind her, helping her to disperse the bullies. But they had never spoken.

"Thank you."

He hadn't expected those words. He thought she might snap back at him; insult him or argue even. But not thank him.

"So are you going then? To the Ball?" He questioned as he came level with her and walked at her side.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Troy, but I think it's pretty obvious that I am not going to the Ball. I think it's even more obvious I don't have a date; but seeing as you appear to have had some kind of lobotomy, I'll spell it out to you. No-one wants to date me. No-one wants to take me to the ball." She enunciated the last two sentences of her speech slowly and carefully.

"I do."

/

"Who was that boy outside?" Doctor Philip Montez asked his daughter.

"No-one, dad."

"He looked persistent." Philip insisted.

"Are you worried because he wears a hoodie?" She arched a brow.

"Is he taking you to the dance?" He asked back.

"Nobody is taking me to the dance. I have a face like a broken mirror. Did you forget that somehow?" She asked sarcastically, taking her chocolate milkshake off the kitchen counter and running upstairs.

/

"So, I saw you talking to Troy last night." Sharpay leaned on the side of Gabriella's locker.

Gabriella didn't reply.

"You do know he's the coolest guy at West High, right? You do know he's not interested in you?" Sharpay asked.

"Sharpay, you're mistaking me for someone who cares." Gabriella looked at her.

"He's going to ask _me _to the Ball. Don't even think about asking him." She warned.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. As if. As if she would go around asking boys out. Right, because she did that _all _the time didn't she?

Science was stain-free. Art wasn't so lucky. He noticed the burn in her blazer and the red paint in her fingernails.

"Did you spill red paint?" He asked as he tucked his hands into the pockets, lost without his cigarette to hold.

"No smoke?" She enquired.

"I gave up."

"Why?"

"Because you said you didn't like it." He replied honestly. Only every time he said something honest, she ran a mile.

"Why are you being so cruel?" She turned on him.

"I'm not!" He argued back, shocked.

"Why cant you just leave me alone like everyone else does?" She begged.

"They don't leave you alone, Gabriella. I'm not like them at all, can't you see?"

"I see the most popular boy in West High telling me he wants to take me to the ball. _Me_. Gabriella Montez, the ugliest girl in Albuquerque." She felt the tears slide as she whipped around to escape him and in that second, he caught a flash of her broken skin. It was jigsawed, pink in the joins, a little raised and jagged where the edges had been hard to stitch. But it didn't sicken him. She was beautiful. So beautiful. The scar made her more so, because she was unique. She was precious.

"I guess you would see that!" He yelled after her. "Who's judging who?"


	3. She's All That

Glad to hear you are enjoying it! :)

**CHAPTER 3**

"Sharpay told me not to talk to you." Gabriella stated to the visitor on her wall.

"Do you do everything she says?" He asked with a lift of his thick brow and a mischievous smile that flashed his perfectly white teeth.

"If I want a quiet day I do." She spouted without thinking, then blushed.

"Why, what happens otherwise?" He wondered worriedly.

"Nothing." She quickly denied.

"What did you do Gabriella Montez; I still can't work it out." He murmured.

_Won a beauty pageant. _The words wouldn't make sense as an answer to him; but they made perfect sense to her. Ever since she could remember, she had been told how beautiful she was; how extraordinary. How unique, stunning, promising for a modelling career. The pageant had been her big chance and she had won it, worn the sash and the glamorous gowns.

And then the seething jealousy had erupted and someone who hated her enough to hurt her had taken a glass into battle and fought with her with the intent of ruining her looks.

Well, they had succeeded. And now she was the butt of all the jokes. She was disfigured, for life.

"I was beautiful once. Apparently that's a crime." She whispered.

"Wait, Gabriella…" He called as she ran off again. "You're beautiful now," he said to himself.

/

"Hi," The ballsy blonde was a familiar face in West High, despite the ban of the schools mixing.

"Hi, Sharpay." Troy answered levelly.

"So, you're taking me to the ball." She smiled.

"Err, no I'm not." He replied honestly, annoyed at her directness.

"Then who are you taking, little miss scar-face?" She smirked.

"No-one. I'm going on my own." He replied.

"But Troy, we belong together. My dad and your dad; they would love it if we got together and they get to spend more time playing golf and having dinner."

"Sharpay, I said no." He replied firmly.

"So you're asking _her _then are you?" Her tone changed to icy and he thought back to Gabriella's reluctance to share what Sharpay was doing to her.

"No actually I'm not. I walk with her to school, that's all." He lied.

"Mm. I don't know why you bother." She flounced off.

/

He didn't know what made him go out that night, wander in the street and eventually skulk in the shadows; smoking a secret cigarette while his dad was buried in paperwork. He had on a beanie to cover his identifiable brown, shaggy hair. His blue eyes were still evident, even under his dark hoodie. His jeans and converse his trademark items. He bounced a basketball with his other hand, lazily, watching his smoky breaths pour out.

"The dragon is back, then." Her voice came from behind him and he swung his head around, watching her power-walk right by him, her small body clothed in soft gym trousers and a hooded top similar to his, but purple. His ball bounced across the street and it rested against the curb.

"Don't go in." He challenged and she stopped, bending down to touch each toe to stretch. He watched as her pants tightened across her ass and he smiled at her curves.

"You're staring." She had her hands on her hips, still facing away but she had twisted to look at him.

"Yes I am." He smiled audaciously back, a little glint in his eye.

"Oh god…" Her face fell and she paled so suddenly, he quickly dropped his ciggie to catch her, thinking she would pass out.

"What is it?" He panicked.

"No!" She held out her arms as he went to steady her. "I know what all this is about, now. I should have _known. _God, stupid me."

"Stupid me too, then, because I have no idea." He remarked bemusedly.

"This is about sex, isn't it? All the boys have a bet on as to who gets laid on the night of the ball. This is some kind of stupid bet. I've seen 'She's All That' Troy, and I am sorry to say I am not Lainey Bloggs. This face doesn't come off like her glasses did." Gabriella announced, heading for her porch.

"Would you STOP?" He called angrily, fisting his hands as he followed her. "I am _not _the guy you keep accusing me to be! I understand your mistrust, but I'm not like everyone else."

Gabi took three or four laboured breaths and then felt her breathing slow as she paused on the steps, eventually trailing over to the swinging chair.

"I don't know who you think I am, Gabriella…" He sighed as he sat beside her.

"You can call me Gabi…" She hedged.

"Tell me about this bet thing..." He begged.

"I heard the girls talking about it. They all wanted to be part of it." She shook her head.

"I promise you, I knew nothing about it. It's not why I'm here." He assured.

She looked up, met those blue, truthful eyes. "Then why are you?"

/

"Did he ask you yet?" Philip enquired as Gabi came inside after her evening run. She refused to exercise in daylight.

"Are you spying on me?" She wondered.

"No, I heard voices. I was checking you weren't being attacked."

"Well he did, if you must know." She mumbled.

"And?" Philip lifted his brows.

"And I said no again." She replied simply, shrugging, heading for her room.

"Why did you say no?"

"Because there's a billion more beautiful girls he could ask, dad." She replied.

"There's none as beautiful as you." He said quietly.

"Well, mom didn't think so did she? I don't see why anyone else would…"

"Gabriella…" He called as she ran up the stairs and into her room.

/

He was there, on her wall, the next morning. She deliberately plugged her earphones into her ears and crossed her arms across her body as she came down the path, showing him she didn't want to talk. And they didn't.

He walked beside her but didn't say anything; he just glanced at her every now and then, trying to work her out. Eventually, she removed her earphones and glared those dark, fiery eyes at him. He traced her face; what he could see of it, the heart shape beautiful, housing those huge, soulful eyes and a small, cute nose and full lips. He noticed the way one side of her upper lip was propped up a little, one of the scars separating the skin and disfiguring the shape of her bowed lips a little. He wanted to kiss there; he realised bemusedly. He wanted to see what she would do if he did that.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" She accused cagily.

"I like looking at you, is that a crime?" He asked back with a smile.

"If you want to see what they did to me then just ask me, Troy. I'm not an animal in the zoo to be stared at."

"I'm not…Jeez…" He whooshed out a breath, flummoxed by her accusations. Hadn't they been through this last night?

"It's what everyone wants to know. How bad is it? Is it _really _ugly? What does it feel like?" She narrated, pulling her hair further across her face as she even thought about her scar being on show.

"I wasn't thinking that." He swore, stopping outside her school, having gone past East High to walk her all the way there.

"Then what were you thinking?"

"That I'd like to kiss you."

/

The words stayed with her while she tried to concentrate on Math, and failed miserably. How dare he say that to her before class started? Now all she could think about were those words.

She had run away of course, like she always did when he said things she couldn't understand. Nobody wanted to kiss her, let alone Troy Bolton. Just why on earth did he keep following her and telling her such things. And more importantly, why now?

Sharpay kept reminding her she was good for nothing with a face like hers and her once happy life was now a constant struggle. Maybe she had taken her beauty for granted; maybe she had let it go to her head. But did she deserve this? This constant round of put downs and attacks? Hadn't she suffered enough?

Netball was her favourite sport and gym was the only time she tied her hair back and faced the looks of horror as she bared herself to her classmates. All the make-up in the world could not disguise the patchwork of deep scars that zigzagged her face. It was the worst time for her; it was when she got pushed and kicked afterwards in the showers. It was the last lesson of the day and no-one was there to make sure she left in one piece. It was the time she had to fight her way out and run for her life.

He found her, sobbing into her arms as she sat against a tree, hidden from the main route home. She was wearing her gym kit; red shorts and a white tee top. She looked beautiful; but broken. So broken.

Her legs were covered in bruises and mud. Her hair was littered with chewing gum. He felt his heart break a thousand times over at what her classmates had done to her and at seeing her in her complete vulnerability; struggling to hold on.

He dropped his bag at her feet and quickly sat down, curling an arm around her shoulders. "Gabriella?"

The fact that she didn't instantly rebuff him had him even more worried. It wasn't like her at all. He expected her to at least put up a fight. She cried a bit more, then she came round, looking up at him.

"Why do you keep doing this?" She begged.

"Because I like you." He answered honestly.

"Why now?" She beseeched.

"It's not just 'now'." He shrugged. "Do you know how long it took me to work up the courage to speak to you?"

"I don't know why." She remarked.

"Because you have a reputation for being a little hard to talk to," he smiled to soften his words, showing he was teasing.

"Then why do you keep trying?"

"I can't stop now I started, right?" He asked.

"You could." She argued.

"Is that what you want? Do you want me to stop talking to you?"

She wiped her eyes and sniffled, twisting from his semi-hug to stand up. He eyed her dirty legs all the way up to where her shorts covered her thighs.

"Would you walk me home?" She asked softly.

He nodded, standing too. She was shivering in the evening air so he stripped off his West High Knights jacket to lend her.

And they walked, in silence again while they both thought of what to say.

"Would you like to come in for a juice?" She asked shyly as they reached her house.

"Won't your dad mind?" Troy asked back.

"He's not home."

"Oh. Okay." He went inside the large brick house and looked around with interest, noting how tidy everything was. Not like his house; all crazy with his stuff strewn everywhere. His mom tried to keep it tidy but she was usually away on business while his dad was busy with coaching the basketball team at school and 'paperwork'.

"Hey, let me help you," He said as they got inside and sat at the breakfast bar, sipping sodas. She had found a lump of gum in her trailing hair and was trying to pull it out.

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "Thank you."

He found some scissors, which initially frightened her, but he carefully cut the blobs of sticky gum out, one by one. He let his fingers tangle through the black curls, stroking her hair gently down her back and over her shoulders as he finished, coming around to smile at her softly.

"You have amazing hair, Gabriella."

She tugged it back across her cheek, making him tilt his head. "You don't need to do that." He promised.

"You should go." She said, standing up and ending their moment of intimacy.

"Will you be okay, getting cleaned up?" He checked.

"You're not helping me to shower, Troy." She replied knowingly.

"Oh darn…" He grinned at her and she was caught off guard by his dazzling smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She pushed him toward the front door.

"I'll be here." He swore.

She opened the door to let him out, finding her father about to put his key in the lock. Troy came face to face with Dr. Montez and smiled as innocently as he could.

"Hi Dr. Montez." He said, slipping by him. "Bye Dr. Montez."

"What was that all about?" Gabriella's father frowned quizzically.

"He just came for a soda, dad." She assured, heading back inside.

"Rough game of hockey, Gabriella?" He questioned, noticing her dirty legs and bruises.

"We had track, dad. It's called hate. I am the school punching bag…" She muttered derisively as she went up to her room, cutting off their conversation once more.

As she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, she wondered if he would actually do anything about those words she had just uttered. Probably not. He never did. He was barely home long enough to eat and sleep let alone sort out her problems.

Troy seemed her only friend right now. And even though she still didn't trust his intentions, she was grateful for having him around. If only she knew what he was up to.


	4. Not beautiful

**CHAPTER 4**

When she peeked outside her door the next morning, he wasn't on the wall. She felt her heart sink a little and looked down at her clothes, wondering why she had bothered wearing something different today when it was obvious the only person she wanted to take any notice was Troy; and now he wasn't here.

Her usual attire of black jeans and black tops had given way to a burgundy pinafore dress with black tights and ballet shoes. She used to be one of those pretty, all American girls, in her cute sandals and skirts; little cardigans and hair bands, all preppy and smiley. Well that had changed.

She had stopped wanting to dress like that the day she had lost all faith in humanity and ever since she had favoured darker colours and edgier clothes.

She headed out, tugging her large beanie down to secure her curtain of hair from blowing back in the wind as she dotted looks around her in case Troy had planned on sneaking up on her.

"Looking for someone?" The voice was Sharpay's.

Gabriella turned to face her. "No."

"Not even Troy? Didn't he tell you? We're dating now. He won't be coming around any more." She smiled her perfectly pink smile, her smooth, clear skin gloating to Gabriella.

"Ok, fine." Gabriella turned to head off again.

"What is it, Gabriella, that made you think you could have the most popular boy in West High?" Sharpay questioned as she stepped into sync beside her.

"I just want to get to school." Gabriella said and walked faster.

"Look, you…" Sharpay grabbed her by the front of her coat and pulled her close, Gabriella fighting the taller girl for distance.

"I haven't done anything to you!" Gabriella complained.

"Just remember who you're dealing with." Sharpay snarled. "I slashed you once and I'll do it again if I see you talking to Troy."

"Gabi!" Troy's voice called and Sharpay dropped the squirming girl quickly, combing her hair back innocently.

"Hi Troy!" Sharpay greeted with a smooth, high voice, as Gabriella scuttled away.

"Hey…Gabi!" He called again, but she didn't hear. Or she didn't want to hear, he mused. "What did you say to her, Sharpay?"

"She was boasting about the fact you were her date to the Ball, Troy. I know it was a big fat lie. I told her it's not right to lie about these things."

He looked into her blue eyes and realised that everything out of her mouth was a lie. Well two could play that game he mused.

"She's not lying. I am her date." He batted back.

"Wh…what? I thought you…you said you weren't taking anyone, Troy. Why would you take an ugly little thing like _that_?" Sharpay spat, horrified at the turn of events.

"She's more beautiful than you will ever be." He pointed out, walking by her to get to school. "Inside and out…" He muttered as he passed.

/

He walked down to the gates of East High and hung behind a big sycamore tree while he smoked his last cigarette of the day. He had tried to stop for Gabi's sake but he needed that rush of nicotine. He needed something to help him cope.

His mother was off in Andover on business again- for six weeks. That meant she would miss his first big dance and never get to meet Gabi. His dad- the basketball team coach, kept on and on at him to join the team and do something useful; but the truth was leaving the team had been the best thing Troy had done last season.

His dad was focused completely on the game. It was bad enough having to live with him but having to work under him, too? It had driven Troy to despair. Now he found any excuse to be away from him. He found any excuse to be alone.

"Hey…" He called as a small bundle of curly hair whizzed by him.

"I can't talk to you, Troy." Gabi said, pausing to give him a sorry look before she turned back to her intended route.

"Why not, what did I do?" He wondered.

"Nothing." She sighed.

"Then why can't I talk to you?"

"Because, okay? Because it might seem like an innocent little talk to you, but it's a whole lot more for me." Tears slid down her face and she began to shake, then she slowly rolled up her coat sleeve to show him a mark on her arm. It looked raw, like she had grazed it; only it wasn't from a fall.

"Who did this to you? Sharpay?" He demanded angrily.

"Just pretend you never saw it and don't talk to me." She instructed through her tears. "Don't come near me again."

"Gabi…" He watched her go; a feeling of sickness washing over him as he went lightheaded with the thought she was being punished for talking to him. Why would Sharpay go to such great lengths to keep them apart?

He took a breath and set his resolve. He wouldn't let this happen to her anymore. He had to help her.

/

"Hi, Dr. Montez…" Troy looked up to the dark-skinned man and took a breath for courage. It was Saturday morning. Gabi was at dance; like every Saturday morning. Troy knew this because he had followed her there one time and then he had looked out of his window every Saturday morning and watched her go on her way.

"Oh, hello. You're Gabriella's friend aren't you?" The big man asked him.

"Yeah, I'm Troy." Troy nodded. "Can I come in?"

Gabi's father listened carefully as Troy explained his worries for his daughter; giving him information from his observations and informing him of his concern. Philip had noticed his daughter's behaviour; of course he had. He'd kind of seen the signs, seen bruises and such the like and simply disregarded them when Gabi had given him no reason to worry any further than wondering why they were there.

He felt embarrassed now that a sixteen year old boy from another school knew more about his daughter than he did, but he didn't blame the boy for telling him. In fact he looked at him with something akin to wonder.

"I'm very grateful to you for having the courage to tell me this." Philip said solemnly.

Troy nodded once and twisted his lips. "I'd like to take Gabi to the ball."

"I know." Philip nodded. "You have my permission."

"She won't let me." Troy frowned. "She keeps saying no."

"You're going to have to sneakier than asking her directly," Philip divulged. "Gabi never did like being forced."

"Oh I'm not…" Troy began and Philip smiled.

"I know. You might have to drag her kicking and screaming unless you can trick her into it." He warned.

"You're telling me to trick your daughter into going to the ball with me?" Troy looked at the man wide eyed.

"It's the only way she'll go willingly." The older man assured. "Just don't hurt her, she's still my girl." He added.

"I won't…" Troy nodded dazedly, leaving the Montez house with a certain amount of confusion.

He checked his watch. He still had time to catch Gabi in town.

/

"Wanna go for a smoothie?"

Gabi jumped a mile and a half as Troy surprised her outside the dance studio. Her hair was damp around her shoulders from her shower moments before and she was wearing her soft dance trousers with a little white vest that hugged her tiny waist and outlined her small breasts.

"You know I can't talk to you, Troy." Gabi sighed.

"If I promise Sharpay will leave you alone, will you come?" He asked back.

"That's not going to happen. Nice try." She arched her brow and folded her arms.

"It is going to happen because I'll make sure of it." He swore.

He was cute, stood there in his jeans and trainers, wearing a military style shirt, his fringe flopping on his forehead and his blue eyes appealing to hers. She felt that little something deep inside that made her want to stop watching his lips as he adorably talked out of the side of his mouth; and made her want to start kissing them, instead.

She pictured them, standing in front of each other, dancing, connected by arms. Maybe later when the music slowed, they would press closer and then they would kiss, right there, in the middle of the dancefloor and everyone would be shocked. Gabriella Montez kissed at last.

The picture in her mind changed. Troy's face was no longer smiling at her; it was twisting, repulsed by what he had seen. He'd brushed her hair back in the moment they kissed in her dream and now he was horrified by what he saw. Everyone was horrified.

She blinked as the imaginary scene in her mind faded away and she was brought back to reality.

"I don't know what you think, Troy." She thought aloud. "But I am not what you think. I'm really not beautiful like you hoped. It's not just a little scar that you can pretend doesn't exist. I can't let myself fall for you and be destroyed by your reaction when you see what I really look like. I'm not strong like that."

"If you forget about your scar for a moment Gabi, then you would know we're more alike than you think. My mom left, too. My dad doesn't care…Did you ever think I needed you? Did you ever stop thinking about yourself for one second to realise I need a friend, too?" He looked to the ground as she opened her mouth in shock, ashamed at her selfish thoughts.

_Was that what this was about? It wasn't about her at all? It was about him? Him and his need to talk to someone; to share with someone who ultimately understood what it felt like to have useless parents. Oh god, how she had failed him!_

He was walking away and she started quickly after him. "Wait!"

He looked over his shoulder and pressed his lips together as he squinted at her.

Gabi walked up and touched his arm. "I'm sorry."

He nodded, looked down his arm and touched his fingers into her palm. "Walk with me?" He asked.

Gabi felt her breathing quicken at the contact but let her hand sit in his. "Okay."

/

The Bolton household was brighter than the Montez one. It was also messier. Gabi let her eyes feed on the colours and items flung around; secretly delighted at being invited into such a wonderful place.

"Would you like a drink?" Troy asked.

"Soda, please." Gabi replied, nervously biting her lower lip. She had never been in another boy's house before.

"So, what do you want to do? We could study in my room or play basketball in the court…" He suggested.

"This is weird." She said with her usual honestly.

"Why?" He asked back.

"It just is. I've not done this before." She admitted.

"What study at someone's house?" He teased.

"Exactly." She said sadly.

"Hey," He reached for her hand again. "I'm not gonna bite."

"You smoke, though." She smiled back shyly.

He licked his lips and reached up to cup her face, stepping closer. Gabi quickly tilted her face to avoid his touch, a little scared by his move.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry…" he winced.

She eyed him for a moment, breathing fast. "Let's just study in your room."

"Okay." He led her up, threw some things under the bed and gestured for her to sit on his bed.

She curled up against the headboard and reached for the text book he passed her.

"Maybe you can help me with Math." He suggested.

"You picked the right girl to study with." She allowed with a little smile. One that lit up her face and made him want to kiss her again.

They studied in companiable silence dotted with questions and sometimes conversation. Gabi learnt that Troy had left the basketball team that his father coached and that his mom was away on a trip. She learnt that he spent most nights in his room, alone while his dad worked in his study. More than that she learnt that Troy was genuine. It wasn't in what he said, or the way he said it; although as they became more relaxed he was funnier; and gave more frequent smiles. It was more the way he just _was._ He was laid on his front on the bed while she gave him math equations and problems to resolve and he would touch his gentle fingers to his brow; or when he got bored he would reach up and touch her foot, sometimes trying to tickle her.

"I should go home for dinner." Gabi commented some time later. Troy had made her sandwiches for lunch and they lay half eaten on plates that now lay on the floor.

"I don't want you to go." He said simply, sitting up.

"I'll see you Monday." She replied.

"I'm buying two tickets for the dance." He told her.

She smiled at him and rolled her eyes. "Have fun with whoever you take."

He watched her get up from his bed and head down to the door as he followed lazily, lifting his arm to brush his hand through his hair. He trapped her by the door, leaning his arm above her head when she turned to say goodbye.

"I'm taking you." He flicked his gaze over her face.

"I'm not going, Troy." She tensed. "I already told you."

"But I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." He retorted.

Gabi frowned into his face, trapped into this small space with him, feeling her body reacting to his, his muscle and strength making her want something more.

"You'll have to because I'm not going." She re-iterated.

He leaned another inch closer and she looked up, half frightened, half asking him to kiss her.

"I haven't worked out how yet, but I'm going to make you change your mind…" He murmured into her ear, bringing his face right before hers as he tilted his head to kiss her.

Gabi pressed her hands to his chest and took a gasping breath. "Don't!" She commanded, ducking from under his arm to grope for the door.

"Gabi, wait…" He called regretfully, reaching around her to twist the door release.

"I'm leaving now." She said, facing away from him, waiting for him to open the door for her.

He sighed and brought the door back to let her out, watching as she ran down the sidewalk_. Damn and double damn. They'd just been getting somewhere_


	5. I Told Your Dad

ElenaSalvatore – ILY, seriously :D

And thanks guys for the confidence boost- I really wasn't sure about this story!

**CHAPTER 5**

He hadn't had a chance to tell her how nice she had looked on Saturday. He had kind of ruined things by trying to kiss her but he had seen a glimpse of her scar already and he really didn't see the big deal. When he looked into her face, he saw a broken, vulnerable, beautiful girl and nothing else.

She was his key, somehow. If only he knew how.

"Did your mom call?" They were her first words of the day and he was surprised at her for asking.

"Yesterday." He supplied, jumping down from the wall. He lit up a cigarette and she squinted at him.

"What happened?" She wondered knowingly.

"I don't think she's coming back. She met another guy and she's been out there banging him behind my dad's back." He explained, taking a drag.

She looked to him and touched his hand, causing him to hold hands with her.

"Can I try it?" She asked of his cigarette.

"Uh-uh." He shook his head.

"Why not?" She challenged.

"It's bad for you."

She laughed. "It doesn't stop you!"

He peeked at her under his fringe. "One drag." He held the burning tobacco stick out to her.

She took it and met his eyes, smiling a little as she flicked her hair back unconsciously so she could reach the filter tip to her lips. She took a breath through the cigarette, sucked it into her lungs and blew it out, surprised at the smoky mushroom looping in and out of her body.

"It tastes funny…" She frowned.

"Do you know how sexy that was?" He asked, amazed by her.

She felt awkward at the compliment and blushed, only then realising her hair was back off her face, revealing part of her cheek to him unknowingly.

She quickly dragged it forward again, shooting him a panicked look. How much had he seen? How disgusted was he?

He was smiling at her, with warm blue eyes lazily appreciating her.

"Are you finished with that?" He asked of his cigarette.

She handed it back to him, wondering why he wasn't saying anything about her face. She remembered his words from before- not everything was about her. Maybe he genuinely hadn't noticed. Maybe he had noticed and he didn't care. Or maybe had had noticed and did care and had chosen not to say anything. At any rate, they'd be late if they stood there staring at each other any longer.

"We have to go." She said, leading them off again.

/

Something had been said, that was obvious to Gabi as Sharpay passed her in the hallway and gave her nothing more than a cool look. Gabi frowned and wondered what had been said; and by whom.

She collected the books she need for class and went about her day with not one interruption or word of malice. As she headed out at the end of the day; she looked behind her, wondering why all was quiet.

What was going on?

Troy met her as she walked up to the gates where he was standing with Chad.

"Hey," He smiled. "Gabi, meet Chad. Chad, Gabi."

Chad looked at her and curled his lip in disgust. "Hey."

Gabi flicked her eyes over him and smiled fakely. "Hi."

"Gabi's coming to the ball with me." Troy boasted, causing her to screw up her face in indignation.

"I am _not_!" She argued.

Troy grinned as she playfully hit him and he stubbed out his smoke. "Okay, home." He held out his hand to her and she looked at it, then him, pressing her lips in.

"Let's just go." She suggested, walking away while Troy said goodbye to Chad.

"Hey what was that about?" He asked as he caught her up.

"Nothing." Gabi denied.

"You don't want to be seen with me?" He wondered.

"Not in front of your friends." She agreed.

"Why not?" He asked, hurt by this.

"Because they don't like me. I'd rather they didn't know about…well that…" She frowned, wondering exactly what they were. They were friends who held hand sometimes. That just sounded pathetic.

"Did they call you names, too?" He demanded.

"Do you really want me to answer that, Troy? Because I don't think you do. This…whatever it is…was never meant to go this far. It was never meant to cause problems."

"Being friends with you is not the problem." He argued. "My friends being assholes is a problem."

"Let's talk about something else."

"Like what you're wearing to the ball?" He arched a brow and she made an annoyed noise. "I need to know what colour your dress is so I can get the right corsage."

"I'm not going, Troy, for the hundredth time! I have nobody to dress-shop with, I have no desire to get tanned, waxed or painted and I am not going to stand in a hall full of people who hate my guts."

"It's jealousy, you know." He squinted his eyes as he reached across and took her hand. "They know no-one can compare to you and it frightens them. Your beauty is unique."

"If unique is another word for non-existent then I would agree."

"You're doing it again." He chastised.

She looked to him and wondered if he really expected anything else from her. She wasn't capable of not thinking it; or saying it, because it was _true._

"Did you say anything to Sharpay?" She asked then, as they approached her house.

"No." He put his hands in his pockets and avoided her gaze.

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow I guess." She suggested.

"_#Tomorow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow…_" Troy sang teasingly, making her smile. "See you." He added softly, his warm eyes meeting hers and holding her gaze, telling her how he felt. He wanted to kiss her, she could feel it and the feeling stayed with her long after he had gone.

_Why would Troy Bolton want to kiss me? _She wondered hours later, in bed. What does he see that no-one else does?

She sighed and closed her eyes, rolling over to try and sleep. If only he didn't haunt her dreams, too.

/

"So will you teach me to dance?" The next morning dawned bright and sunny and Troy noted Gabriella's black dress and tights and shoes. "You look nice." He added with a smile.

"Oh, please. As if compliments would change my mind. I'm not teaching you to dance, Troy."

"Why not? And you do look nice. It's not a trick." He said bemusedly.

"I'm not teaching you to dance because I'm not going to the ball." She answered, gliding over his compliment.

"You don't have to go to the ball. I just want to learn how to dance." He sifted back, making her squint at him.

"You better not be trying to make me change my mind…"

"I wouldn't dare." He grinned innocently. "After all, Gabriella Montez is a force to be reckoned with…"

"Hardly," she mused.

"Well you scared the shit out of me!" He joked, only she didn't look very amused.

"I can't help that." She pressed her lips in, not sure what he meant.

"Gabi…" He sighed, knowing his joke had inadvertently hurt her but he didn't know how. "I was kidding…"

She was walking ahead of him, her head down to avoid the other students around them, busy heading for their destinations.

"Gabi…" He caught her up and turned her by the upper arms, causing her to dart worried looks around them both. "I was talking about your acid tongue. The thing I like most about you; your ability to insult me with one look."

"You really _like_ that?" She asked drily, giving him a worried look.

"Yeah, I do." He affirmed, meeting her deep brown eyes.

"Morning, Gabi." Chad greeted her as he slapped Troy on the shoulder.

"Hi, Chad." Gabi frowned and looked at Troy again. "Did you say something, to Sharpay?"

"No." Troy licked his lips and dropped his gaze.

"Then what did you say because no-one even looked at me yesterday." She explained.

Troy sweated a little as he thought of how to answer her question. He had a feeling she would be mad at him if he told her the truth but he couldn't bare lying to her, either.

"I told your dad." He admitted quietly, waiting for the fall-out as he bit his lip.

"You _what_?" She asked, horrified, her face draining white as she imagined this.

"Look, don't be mad, I wanted to help…I didn't know how to-" He was cut off by her palm slapping him soundly across the face and then he met her angry, hurt eyes.

"I can't believe you did that!" She whispered, and then turned to run away.

"Ouch, dude, take a look at that face, that's not pretty…" Chad commented in his ear, leaning on his shoulder as both boys watched her run, her hair flailing behind her and flashing her scar.

"You ever talk about her like that again; consider us done as friends." Troy said, not looking at his buddy as he turned and walked into school.

/

"Hi, Gabriella."

Taylor McKessie was the only girl who had ever not bullied Gabi. For the first few months of starting East High, they had actually spoken and been kind-of friends. Gabi had been busy out of school mostly because of her modelling and beauty pageants, but she and Taylor had been to each other's houses now and then.

After Sharpay had scarred her for life; a secret known only by Gabriella, Taylor and Sharpay, Taylor had stopped talking to her, too. Gabi got the impression it was more out of blackmail and force than out of choice, but she was too hurt by everything that had happened to challenge Taylor's transfer of loyalty. She knew that Sharpay had threatened her about telling the truth to anyone else too, so she knew how strong her ruling by fear was.

Gabi was still wary though, as Taylor greeted her by her locker.

"Why are you talking to me?"

"I should never have stopped. I'm sorry." Taylor offered.

"Like _that's _gonna wash," Gabi snorted.

"Things are changing, Gabi. Someone has your back." Taylor smiled.

Gabi wondered if Taylor meant _she_ had her back. If not, she couldn't think what she was talking about.

"Do you really have my back, though? Or is this some kind of pretend-friend thing so you can screw me over later?" Gabi arced, shoving her books into her locker with more force than necessary.

"I hear you need a dress for the ball." Taylor said next, and that's when Gabi smiled. She smiled, folded over with a derisive groan and then giggled out loud. Anyone watching the pair of them would wonder what joke Taylor had told, only this was no joke. Troy Bolton had infiltrated her school and was using her own –friends?- to persuade her to go to the ball.

"How much did he pay you?" Gabi looked her old friend squarely in the face.

"Who?" Taylor frowned quizzically, almost convincing Gabi as to her ignorance.

"Troy. He's the one who put you up to this, right?" Gabi asked.

"You're going with _Troy_?" Taylor's eyes widened and her mouth opened into an 'o'.

"No! God, why is that _so _difficult to understand…" She muttered to herself as she hurried off, then stopped as a thought came to her.

"If Troy didn't tell you, then who did?"

/

History was never Gabi's favourite lesson. Mr Pinkleton had to be the most boring teacher in the school, which sucked for him because history was also the most boring subject and the two together were unbearable. She had yawned into her hand at least three times already and looked out of the window four times.

Taylor slipped her a note under her hand as she sat beside her, somehow falling back into their old routine. When Mr. Pinkleton turned to the desk, the note would slide left or right- depending who was writing it at the time- and when he turned to the board, the recipient would open it and scan it; their shorthand developed to such a degree that only the other would understand it.

The note translated as 'Sharpay said you were going to the ball and didn't have a dress'

Gabi nodded and thought of how to answer this, along with a heartfelt sigh. On the one hand, if she was honest with Taylor, and Taylor was sent to be a spy, then Sharpay could know too much. She had already dropped herself in it by mentioning Troy at all. It was clear Sharpay was already suspicious about their friendship.

But she couldn't face, lying, either. And if Taylor knew something, maybe Gabi could be the spy and find out what Sharpay had in store for her.

'How does she know?' The note slid as the teacher pivoted.

'She told me she has to get everyone to go to the ball. You included. The teachers are blaming her if you don't go, they know she's been horrible to you, she got a warning.'

Everything in Taylor's long reply made sense. It matched up with what had happened yesterday, it followed Troy's words on how he had intervened. And for one fleeting moment, Gabriella felt relief and gratitude to him. But then the fear set in.

'Why are you talking to me again?'

'Because I missed you. And now it's okay. I'm sorry I couldn't before. I did what I could.'

It wasn't near enough, but it was something, Gabi understood that much. She was trying. She didn't know why; whether she had an ultimate plan, but she had revealed a lot already.

'I'm not going to the ball.' Gabi replied, intending this to be the end of the note passing.

'That's a shame. I heard Troy Bolton wants to go with you.' Taylor replied back.


	6. Home Alone

**CHAPTER 6**

She was glaring at him. It wasn't the nicest feeling in the world, but at least she was still acknowledging his presence. He was following her home. Her arms were crossed, her earphones in and her dark eyes spitting fire.

"Stop following me." She said eventually, right around halfway mark, where she usually caved. It was the same spot he had found her that day, crying her eyes out and covered in mud.

"I can't. I have dance lessons with you tonight, remember?" He enquired.

"Where do you get off Troy? Where do you get off going behind my back and telling my dad about school? Why did you do that? Why?" She threw her arms out as she shouted, her increasing level of voice making him wince. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms down.

"Shh, okay, look I know you're mad but people will think I'm attacking you if you keep on like that…"

"And Taylor!" She screamed next; making him smile at his secret weapon. "You told her I need a dress! That I need _help _getting a dress!" She shot out.

"Okay, I'm sorry…It sounds bad when you say it like that…" He blushed, feeling guilty. He'd thought it was another way to talk her into going. He'd thought he was doing the right thing- tackling her enemy and enrolling her friends.

"She's not my friend anymore, Troy! She left me when I _really _needed her and I don't know if I can take her b-" Her last word was swallowed by a sob and she dropped her arms completely, his hands around her wrists dropping with them while he surveyed her face and felt a pang of regret.

"I'm sorry if I made things bad for you. I was trying to help. I just wanted to make things better…" He sighed and reached his arms around her, gently pulling her into his warm, hard body and holding her there; absorbing her tears.

"He's never there!" She sobbed of her father. "He's never there and he never listens and for you to just…"

"Shh, shh," he stroked her hair, gently down her back, pressed his lips to her forehead and murmured noises to calm her. He even sang at one point which brought her face up, streaked with tears. They tracked through her make-up and he saw the torn skin through the rivulets of tears that revealed it. Her hair was caught in the mess, too, stuck to the mixture of tears and make-up base, pasted to her skin.

"Why?" She asked again, quietly, her hands on his chest as she groped his jacket for comfort.

"Because I want you to be happy, Gabriella. I want to see your real smile."

/

Dr Montez wasn't in when the teens came inside the house, the emotional moments of before melting away to reveal more trust and understanding.

"Home alone- again." Gabi sighed.

"I know the feeling," he mused.

"Your mom's not coming back?" Gabi asked, afraid for him.

He leaned on the counter and shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't know."

She kicked off her ballet shoes and shrugged off her coat before coming over to him and hugging her arms around his middle.

"Our families suck." She offered.

Just then, the door swung open again to reveal Dr. Montez, surprising both Gabi and Troy.

"Oh! Did I interrupt…" Philip smiled at his daughter and her friend as he caught them hugging in his kitchen.

"The one night you decide to come home and I don't want you here…" Gabi muttered as she grabbed Troy's hand and led him toward the stairs. Troy smiled at the older man quickly, silently placating him.

"Where are you going, Gabriella?" Philip asked gently.

"I'm teaching Troy to dance." Gabi answered and thundered up the stairs with a sheepish Troy in tow.

/

"You're really going to teach me?" His blue eyes lit up like a little boy's at Christmas and she couldn't say no to him now. She might have been lying to her dad but he trusted her now; she had to stick to her word.

"Honestly Troy, you are not _at all _what I expected," she shook her head, sifting through her CD's for a suitable tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned cutely. She smiled and walked up to him, having put the CD in to play, and touched his cheeks between her thumbs and forefingers.

"You're just so cute!" She teased, her smile breaking free.

"Hey…"

"Were you really scared of me?" She tilted her face, her hands dropping as she felt awkward and didn't know where to place them. His chest seemed like a natural place but even then her fingertips throbbed at being in contact with his muscled body.

"I guess…" He twitched his head and raised a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing nervously.

"Because I'm mean to people?" She wondered.

"Because I knew you'd blow me out," he blew out a breath with a smile. "I knew you'd say no."

She looked at him under big, dark lashes as her whole face posed with sympathy.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Once I was proved right, I had no fear." He assured.

"But if I kept saying no, why did you keep coming back?"

He knew she needed this little bit of reassurance that he couldn't be pushed away. And he was ready to give it. Gabriella might not know how special she was, but he did. He'd seen her fight adversity. He was watching her come out on top.

"Because I had to convince you otherwise. I figured your 'no' doesn't always mean 'no.'" He smiled out of the side of his mouth that he had been talking from and she felt her heart melt at his adorableness. The fact she even thought of a word like adorableness was puke-worthy but somehow she didn't feel like hurling.

"I guess it doesn't. But don't think you can use that against me…" She warned.

He held both hands up, giving surrender. "I promise I won't hurt you."

She met his eyes, felt their heart beats thump in sync and felt that warm, hazy shimmer roll over her body again as she had the urge to kiss him. His hands went from being in the air to pressing either side of her face, holding her hair down as he tilted his head, forcing her to do the same.

His lips touched hers, only slightly, with the tiniest sigh out as he kissed her again, firmer and harder, his lips brushing against hers and creating all kinds of excited cells to rush around her body. _Is this what it's like? Kissing Troy? Wow, I should do this more often…_

The tinkle of a mobile ringtone cut the air, breaking the moment with its sound.

Gabi pulled back from the moment, conscious that his thumbs had pushed back her veil of hair and that he was now staring intently into her eyes, his gaze flicking over her face just moments before.

"I don't know how anyone could want to hurt you." He husked. "You're so beautiful."

Gabi twisted her face to break his touch, not used to feeling other people's hands on her broken skin. His words went deep, they made her tummy turn over and her heart burst with joy; but it was going to take time. As long as he didn't push her- as long as she could do it in her own time, she may just be able to trust him. She may be able to show him her real self.

The ringing started again and this time Gabi knew it wasn't her cell, but Troy's that was demanding attention. He twisted his lips and reached into his jeans pockets for the item, giving her an apologetic look before he stepped away and answered, walking to her window while he talked in hushed tones.

Gabi wrapped her arms around herself and wondered if she would ever get a moment like that again; it seemed so rare and wonderful, she barely dared to hope for more. When he finished his conversation, he looked over to her, and then smiled lopsidedly.

"All of sudden my dad gives a shit where I am." He shrugged. "You showing me this dance or not?"

She smiled back and nodded, instructing him on the basics while their parents worried about them quietly elsewhere.

/

"So, if you were going to have a corsage, what colour would you have?" Troy posed hypothetically the next morning.

"Really, you're gonna go there?" She questioned back, albeit with a smile.

"You look pretty." He replied.

"Oh god," she moaned teasingly.

"What? You do! You have your hair all.." He gestured with his hands some crazy circles.

"Curly?" She supplied.

"No, it's always curly, today it's…" He did the crazy circles again.

"Spirals." She supplied.

"It's pretty. It suits you." He affirmed.

"Can you see my…" She darted a look to him worriedly and he felt something in his tummy plop at her trusting him enough to ask.

"All I see is beautiful." He replied firmly, fixing his gaze to hers.

She nodded with a little lip twist, but didn't argue. After a moment she thanked him and took his proffered hand, a definite step forward from their normal meetings.

"My mom's coming home this weekend. She decided to worry about me suddenly." He commented.

"Is there something I don't know?" Gabi wondered.

Troy rolled his eyes. "The teachers caught me smoking behind the pool. They sent a letter home. My parents have some crazy idea I'm doing weed or something…"

"Wow, way to jump to conclusions…"

"Yep. Anyway, I might not get to see you. I told my mum I have friends but she doesn't seem to care much about that." He lifted his brows and gave a wry smile.

"Does she know about me?" Gabi asked in a small voice.

He looked to her and thought about his answer. "It's not an insult that she doesn't. I don't feel like I can tell her anything right now."

"Okay."

"I told my dad, though. He knows where I was last night." He added.

She looked to him with big hopeful eyes. "Mine, too."

He smiled at that, walking her to her school gate. "Have fun!"

"See you later, Troy." She smiled and went inside, her hand holding with Troy not unnoticed by the other students.

News travels fast in a school full of girls.

/

"So you're dating Troy now?"

Sharpay's tone wasn't acerbic but there was something about the way she was leaning on the cubicle wall that told Gabi she wasn't happy with her assumption.

"No." Gabi replied, busying herself by checking her newly curled hair in the mirror. She still felt a little afraid of Sharpay when they were alone like this. It always brought back memories. Only she couldn't tell anyone what had happened. She couldn't breathe a word about the night Sharpay had deliberately started a fight, breaking her drinking glass and using it as a weapon to destroy her face. Gabi winced at the pain that flicked across her mind as she went back to that day.

"You were holding hands…" The blonde girl stated, shifting from her leaning position and unfolding her arms.

Gabi frowned and edged by her, toward the door. "We're only friends."

"I think you're lying, Gabriella." Sharpay arched a brow. "Don't think I don't know what your boyfriend did." She added.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Gabi backed up for the door.

Sharpay smiled blandly. "He told the head I was bullying you, didn't you hear? I mean me- a bully. That's not good for my transcript."

Gabi remained silent, one hand on the door handle, ready to bolt.

"Just remember one thing, Gabriella…" Sharpay warned, coming toward her. Gabi held her breath and felt her hands tremble with as her blood whooshed around her in fear.

"Troy and I belong together. I'll make sure of it." She announced, shouldering past the smaller girl to grab the door handle and swing it back, leaving Gabi trapped in the small space that remained, and her whole body shaking with the unsaid threat.

_Why did Troy have to talk to me that day? Why did he have to make things even more complicated? Whatever he had said had clearly saved any further abuse. But can I cope with the ultimate backlash? Do I want to?_

She took a deep breath, steadying herself for her next lesson. Everything else could wait, Science was calling her name.


	7. Stop Pretending

Hey everyone; I know I don't always thank each and every one of you individually but I read every review and I appreciate every single one you make!

And those of you who add your thoughts, feelings and comments; I love you even more :')

**CHAPTER 7**

Gabi walked quickly past West High with her head down and her arms folded in the vain hope that Troy wouldn't see her; or if he did, maybe he would see that she didn't want to talk and he might leave her alone.

All of her hopes were crushed as he jogged up beside her and looked down at her, greeting her with a boyish grin.

"Hey!"

"Hey." She walked quicker, trying to outpace him.

"What's wrong?" He asked bemusedly.

"Nothing."

He rolled his lips together, quickening his pace to catch up with her.

"Okay. Well are we doing something tonight? I have to see my mom tomorrow." He reminded her.

Gabi sighed heavily and looked up at him; and he instantly saw her thoughts.

"I think we should just stop pretending that we can be friends, Troy." She posed honestly.

"Wait, is that you talking now or Sharpay?" He asked knowingly.

"You don't understand…"

"Yeah, I do." He mused sadly. "I'm the guy everyone leaves."

"Don't blame me for your mom leaving." Gabi returned, upset at having to try and break off her friendship with Troy and angry at Sharpay for making her do so.

"I'm talking about you." He accused. Gabi had never felt like this before, like a knife was being driven into her heart because she was letting him down.

"If you knew…" She beseeched painfully.

"How can I unless you tell me?" He asked back, taking both her hands gently in his.

"Because it's easier this way. It's best you don't know."

"Best for who?" He challenged.

"I can't be seen with you, Troy. It's causing too much heartache for everyone."

"My heart aches at the thought I can't see you." He pronounced, making her look up at him with wide eyes, shocked at his words.

"Why do you say things like that?" She asked in a whisper.

He reached up and cupped her face, stepping a little closer. "Because it's true. You're my saving grace."

Gabi took two minutes to decide what to do; all the while she was looking deep into Troy's eyes, losing herself in their blueness.

"If I tell you what happened, you have to swear on your life you won't tell anyone." She hedged.

"I promise."

"Not even my dad." She added pointedly.

"Okay, I promise." He repeated.

She licked her lips. "Okay you better come to my house."

/

Troy looked around Gabi's pretty room, watched as she took off her hat and mooched about a little, leaving him to sit on her bed and stare up at the ceiling. It was painted with clouds, the background blue, intriguing him.

"Did you paint that?" he wondered.

"No, it was here when we came. I loved it too much to paint over it." She sat beside him, twitching her lips.

"It's awesome." He agreed, lifting himself fully onto the bed and leaning on the headboard. His socks were loose in the toes, cutely. His t-shirt was tight on his athletic body and she watched his arms bulge and flex as he moved.

"Why can't we just stay here and never go out?" She sighed.

"Because that would be no fun," he smiled.

"It's not much fun right now." She shot back, drily.

"Well I'm trying to change that." He pointed out.

"It's not your responsibility." She looked to him.

"I know," he smiled cutely. "I just want to."

"Remind me to make you my ice cream sundae later. I think you deserve one." She smiled back.

"Sounds interesting…"

"It's yummy." She nodded, leaning back on the board, knowing the small talk had to give way to more serious words. She curled a little and leaned her head on his shoulder, the small contact enough to remind her of his support, that this wouldn't break them. Only she feared it would, she felt breathless at the thought of it.

"This might change things." She said seriously.

"It won't change how I feel." He vowed.

"Don't make promises, Troy. Just hear it, first." She instructed.

"Okay," he nodded, shifting so he could put his arm around her shouldrs, encouraging her to snuggle into his body.

"I don't know how to start…God, there's so much you don't know…" She pressed a hand to her forehead and he cupped his hand at her shoulder to crunch her close for a second.

"It's okay just take your time."

"I used to be a model," she began, at the start. "I guess mom always told me how beautiful I was and dad was busy with work so we used to do everything together- shopping, manicures…those days were like heaven to me-then." The way she said 'then' made it very clear that manicures were not her heaven now. Troy thought he loved her more because of it.

"Mom suggested I enter a beauty pageant- I had done a few when I was little but while I was, you know, _growing_, I felt too awkward. I was fifteen and out of the awkward stage. I wanted to shine. I thought I was _so pretty _back then, I was believing my own hype…" She derided.

"That's not a crime…" He inserted.

"No," she sighed. "But it was my downfall. It was obviously too much to some people. I won the pageant- I wore the sash, paraded in the silk gown and had my picture taken a thousand times. Later that night, a bunch of the girls organised a group to go into town, have some pizza now we didn't have to diet…"

"Sharpay?" He guessed easily.

Gabi nodded, shifting so she could meet his gaze, taking strength from his attentiveness.

"She took us out, got us all a little tipsy with her hidden vodka and then cleverly started a fight. God, there were girls everywhere- nails, hair…and glass." She paused, swallowing, taking a breath as she struggled to breathe, and reliving the nightmare.

"Oh god, Gabi…"

"She smashed her glass in my face. It shattered and ripped up the skin; leaving me mutilated. And then she screamed, putting on this horrific act of hysteria. I've never seen anything like it, she made out like it was some horrible accident and that she was overcome with shock…" Gabi frowned, still trying to work out how anyone could be that callous.

"You were lying there, bleeding and she couldn't even help you?" He asked, shocked.

"I didn't even know what was happening. One minute I'm in the midst of a cat fight, the next I was being driven in an ambulance and losing blood like crazy. All I kept thinking was, I'm ugly, I'm ugly, she made me ugly," Gabi let out a short, humoured breath through her nose. "How shallow am I?"

"Hey what she did to you was nothing short of disgusting. You had every right to feel that way…"

"When I saw the damage, when my mom left because she couldn't bear to look me in the face- I knew then that it would never be the same," she swallowed on her painfully gritty throat, the memory of her mother leaving now as strong as those of her attack.

"Your mom..? Gabi, you never said…" He scooped his arms around her and rocked her against his body as she began to sob.

"She didn't want me, Troy! She didn't want an ugly daughter and who could blame her? I had failed. I have failed. I'm never going to be pretty again." She burrowed into his chest and he held her tight, shushing her softly.

"You don't seem to get that you're the most beautiful girl I know." He said quizzically, watching as she lifted her face to him. She pressed her lips in and took a breath, carefully taking her hair and holding it back from her face, her breath hitching as she revealed her injury in its full extent.

"Do you think so now?" She asked bravely.

He looked right into her eyes, and then raised a hand to press his thumb very gently against the broken surface, running it down her entire cheek to her jaw. Without words, he leaned forward and kissed that corner of her mouth that he had been dying to kiss since the first time he spoke to her.

"Even more so." He promised.

"How?" She begged, tears streaming down her face at his words.

"Because inside this amazing package is the strongest girl I know. Sure she's moody and she tells me to go, but she also listens. She tells me I'm not alone." He answered.

"Does it make you feel weird?" She wondered as his thumb still grazed delicately over her cheek.

"Nope." He smiled a little. "It just makes me want to kiss you."

Gabi couldn't understand a world where her ugly face would inspire anyone to kiss her, but she wasn't about to try. Troy's lips were brushing hers and she could do nothing but kiss him back, the emotion of the last moments pouring out as she touched his chest, up to his neck and finally ran her hands into his hair at the nape.

He pulled away for a moment and grinned, leaning back in to kiss her again, finding her shyness breaking their second kiss just as quickly.

"I don't know what to do." She said and he took a moment to remember the line of their conversation from before.

"About Sharpay?" He checked.

She nodded.

"You can't let her bully you any more, Gabi. I'm with you because I want to be and I'll tell her as much. Hiding is not the answer."

"She told me she would do it again." Gabi whispered, frightened.

Troys face set to thunder and he frowned, tensing with anger.

"I can't believe she said that…" He sighed, thinking of a plan, coming up blanks.

"Troy?" Gabi asked, wide eyed.

"Yeah?"

"Do you still want to go to the dance with me? It might be the only way…" Gabi suggested.

"Do I?" He asked mockingly. "I only asked you almost every day for the past two weeks."

"Well I changed my mind. I want to go, with you. I want to show everyone that we are…you know, good friends." She blushed.

"Good friends?" he arched his brow teasingly. "Gabi, I'd like you to be my girlfriend…" He said as though this were obvious and she was being a bit stupid.

"What?" She whispered, staring at him as though she had seen a ghost.

"Why do you think I've been hanging around all this time?" He asked amusedly.

"I…I just…" She shook her head, trying to grasp his words and their meaning.

"You just what?" He wondered.

"Why me?" She asked back, naturally.

"Tell me something…" He smiled, turning it back to her. "Why do you like me?"

She looked at him and smiled, shrugging shyly. "You're cute."

"Right, and?" He asked again, ignoring her compliment.

"You make me laugh. I can talk to you." She added.

"Those three things are exactly the same things I think about you." He pointed out.

They were resting gently against each other, back on her pillows and she snuggled into him a little; receiving an encompassing cuddle in his strong arms.

She didn't say anything else, but she didn't need to. Somehow Troy understood her perfectly without words and that was a strange feeling that she was still getting used to, but it was true, he was surprising with his ability to just _be there._

She listened while he talked about his mom and dad and when they grew sleepy; neither one of them suggested Troy should go home. So they huddled under the duvet together and fell asleep, forgetting the world around them for one night.

/

In the cold light of day, Gabi felt letting Troy sleep over wasn't such a good idea. She woke up, pushed her hair from her face with a frown and propped up onto her elbows, surprised to find a warm, solid body beside hers.

"You're awake, then." Philip Montez commented from the doorway, making her jump.

"What are you doing in here?" Gabi snapped. "You're supposed to knock!"

"I saw Troy's bag in the kitchen and I wondered why he was still here at 8am on a Saturday…" Philip replied. "And when James Bolton called me to ask where Troy was, I thought I better check he was actually here and that you hadn't killed him."

"Why would I kill him?" Gabi asked moodily as she dragged herself up into sitting position, flicking a look at Troy who was fast asleep on his belly, his hair cutely messed.

"Who knows…" He answered drily. "What happened?"

"We fell asleep." She answered blandly.

"I can see that…"

"You weren't home at 1am, dad, where were you?" She asked back.

He met her gaze and blinked. "Were you afraid to be alone all night?"

Gabi got out of bed and walked over to him, putting her hands on her hips and looking up to him. "Can you leave, please?"

"We need to talk, Gabriella." He pointed out.

"Really? And you chose now? You're going to ruin the only cool thing that happened to me in years because you suddenly grew a conscience?" She asked bitterly.

Philip sighed and accepted her accusation. "Okay I'll be downstairs when you're ready to come down."

Gabi didn't think she would _ever _be ready to go down. She'd rather crawl back into her bed and hug Troy a bit more. As she thought this, he wriggled in bed and looked up, sleepy-eyed and trying to orientate himself.

"Where am I?" He husked out loud.

"In my bedroom." Gabi replied, biting her lower lip nervously as he swung round to look at her.

"Why are you over there?" He smiled endearingly.

"Because my dad found us out." She admitted.

"Oh shit!" He swore, sitting up quickly.

"It's ok." She assured.

"It is?"

"I was afraid." Gabi said simply, looking to him. Troy got out of the bed and came over, wrapping his arms right around her.

"Afraid of what?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter. I liked having you here." She hugged him back, and then pulled away. "And I have to go down, now."

"Me too." He lifted a brow.

"I'm sorry if your mom gets mad." She offered, heading toward her door.

"Hey, wait!" He whispered loudly, grabbing her hand. She turned and looked at him quizzically, smiling bemusedly as he leaned toward her, kissing her on the forehead softly. "You look beautiful this morning."

Gabi blushed, realising she hadn't once attempted cover her face in front of him; minus her make up, too. But she needn't have worried; he was beaming at her adorably.

"Your hair looks sexy all stood up." She replied awkwardly.

He ran a hand through it to test. "Mm if you say so," He grinned and followed her down the stairs.

/

"Troy," Philip Montez greeted the boy, sticking his hand out to shake the younger man's.

"Mr. Montez." Troy nodded and met his gaze. "Look, I'm sorry I fell asleep here…"

"You know what?" Philip cut him off. "It's really okay, you don't need to apologise. I trust Gabriella."

Troy nodded again and took a breath. "I have to go and meet my mom…" He looked quickly to Gabi, too.

"Okay, see you soon." Philip guessed.

Gabi trailed to the door and spoke in soft tones as she swung on the wooden frame, finally parting with Troy after they kissed briefly on the lips.

She came back in, keeping her face painted carefully blank when he knew she was dying to smile, he could sense it.

"He's a nice boy." Philip offered.

"I know." Gabi smiled.

"I meant what I said, I trust you both." He added.

"Okay."

"I hope as a doctor I at least installed some sensibility into you regarding sex and precautions," He continued.

"Dad…" She screwed up her face.

"Okay, fine. I know I'm screwing this up, Gabriella. I can see it every time I look into your face."

"He told you about the bullies, didn't he?" She asked out of the blue, putting him off guard.

"Troy mentioned the problems you were facing." He nodded.

"And it stopped. So you don't need to worry."

"I do worry. I'm never here. And you need me. I know that now, I'm going to make changes." He vowed.

"You really don't need to," she rolled her eyes and busied herself pouring cereal.

"Well I am. I'm cutting back my hours, I'm going to be here when you get home from school and I'm going to help you with your homework and do what a dad should do." He explained.

"Are you going to stop me seeing Troy?" She wondered.

"Of course not." He frowned. "Unless I should, in which case…"

"We're going to the ball next week together." She blurted.

He paused, a smile softening his features. "That's great news, honey."

"I need an outfit…" She hedged.

"Do you need some money? You can buy whatever you want," he assured.

Gabi swallowed; hurt at his suggestion that he throw her the money and she take it away to find her own gown. What she really wanted- apart from the cash- was some help in finding what suited her. She needed her mother and her mother wasn't there. They would have _loved _dressing up together and trying on clothes. They would have taken _weeks _over it. They would have found the perfect dress.

"Will you come with me to find a dress?" Gabi asked in a small whisper, her breaths tight with fear at his answer.

Philip studied the small, fragile girl before him and went over to cup her arm, rubbing his thumb there to assure her. "Of course I will."


	8. How Did That Happen?

**CHAPTER 8**

"My dress is blue." Gabi told Troy the next morning. He was smoking a cigarette on their way to school, cupping it under his fingers as his other hand held hers. He was wearing his usual clothes but his hair was scruffy and he looked a little tired.

"Blue? What colour corsage should I get?" He panicked.

"Purple?" Gabi suggested.

He looked to her and smiled. "Thank you."

"How was the weekend at your mom's?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Painful. Greg- her new boyfriend- didn't want me there I could tell. I think she only took me because dad told her to. It's like a battle for them. She doesn't want me, she left for a reason you know? To get away from me and dad. And now dad has this whole 'You should see your mom, it's only right' thing going on, when really, the only reason he wants me to go is so he doesn't have to worry about me."

"Troy, your mom and dad love you, I'm sure they don't really feel that way…" Gabi assured.

"He asked me to join the team again this morning. He said I'd do better spending my time practising than running around with girls."

"I'm sorry." She offered, feeling like nothing she could say would help.

"Its cool, it's just how it is…" He shrugged awkwardly as they arrived at the gates of her school.

"You should go; if we get caught we'll get in trouble." She reminded him.

"You're my girl, G-M." He said, placing something in her palm, closing her fingers around it and kissing her knuckles before he grinned and sprinted off.

"What…?" She frowned quizzically at his receding back.

She opened her fist and found a necklace with a ring on it; Troy's class ring. It was marked 'Knights Class '09' and 'TB' on the outside of the gold band.

_He gave her his ring? Oh gosh, what did that mean? Did he really, really like her? Did he want to have sex?_

A thousand thoughts ran around her head but only one broke through, voiced by Sharpay.

"Are you and Troy going steady?" Sharpay asked with disbelief.

Gabi quickly closed her hand and looked up. "Yeah. Yeah, we are." Gabi answered honestly.

"Wow, didn't think you would put out…" Sharpay remarked, walking ahead of her.

Gabi followed, slowly unfurling her hand again to link the necklace around her neck. She felt the ring lay heavy against her skin, right between her breasts. Troy was her boyfriend.

Now how did that happen?

/

Now that Gabi didn't have to worry so much about being tagged, followed, kicked or spat at; she found herself concentrating on her studies and catching up on her work quite easily.

Taylor kept seeking her out to talk to her and things were getting better. It seemed odd to her that in those two short weeks, so much could happen.

She had a boyfriend now. What did that mean? Sharpay would definitely not have been happy about that news and Gabi was very careful not to talk about Troy to Taylor in case she was sent as a spy.

But she had no-one to ask, _what do I do now_? She felt a little afraid of the prospect of having sex with Troy, especially as they still barely knew each other and her accusation to him those two weeks ago came ringing back. Was he trying to sleep with her on the night of the dance?

Her heart told her no, that wasn't possible. But there was still that little part of her that wondered if this weren't some elaborate plan concocted by Sharpay designed to hurt her and humiliate her. If her heart was right, and Troy was for real, that meant Sharpay had some other plan in mind. And it would no doubt be executed at the ball, where everyone would see.

She watched the other girls all day in classes, keeping a close eye out for any secret whispers or plans being hatched. She couldn't see anything that would make her suspicious but she didn't disregard her worry.

When she left school, she met her father at the gate, surprised to see him there.

"Why are you here?" She asked outright, annoyed that she wouldn't get to see Troy.

"You need shoes for your dress, don't you?" Philip asked back.

"Do we have to go now, dad? I'm meant to be meeting Troy…" She begged.

"The ball is on Friday, Gabriella. We should go now to get them." He reminded her.

Gabi sighed. "Can I at least go and tell Troy I won't be coming so he doesn't wait for me?"

"Of course you can." Philip smiled, watching his harassed daughter walk off, holding both her rucksack straps in her hands.

Gabi made it to West High quickly and flicked a look to Chad as she walked up to the two boys, smoking outside the gates, hidden from view.

"Um, I have to go out with my dad. I won't be walking home tonight." She offered.

Troy smiled at her and reached out to touch her upper arm. "That's cool, I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded and twisted her lips, lifting her gaze to his. He leaned down to kiss her and she opened her mouth in shock, receiving his lips perfectly to hers.

"You taste smokey…" She complained with a frown.

He smiled lopsidedly. "I tried to quit…"

"It's ok. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and went back the way she had come.

"What is it about that chick, Bolton?" Chad asked from behind his friend. Troy turned back toward him and took a drag on his cigarette.

"You know I like her." Troy said back, not answering the loaded question.

"You're the only one." Chad arched a brow.

"I gave her my ring today. I'm serious, Chad. Get used to me and Gabi being together."

Chad shook his head and Troy felt a burning anger rush up his chest.

"What did she _do, _Chad? What did she ever do that was so wrong, I would love to know." Troy challenged.

"You know the fight that started it all, Troy?" Chad asked back, arching his brow and looking his friend directly in the face. "The one where Gabi got sliced up like pie?"

"Who doesn't?" Troy asked back, agitated.

"There was a reason Queen Bitch went psycho on little Miss Perfect," Chad explained. "We all know what Sharpay is like and we know not to goad her. Well from what I heard, Gabriella tried to outdo Sharpay that night and it fell back in her face."

"I don't understand…" Troy frowned. "Outdo her how?"

"That beauty pageant shit…Its not what it seems on the outside. Those girls will do _anything _to win, Troy. I heard that Gabi sabotaged some of Sharpay's outfits. And goaded her after, when she won and Sharpay lost. She told Shar that she was always going to win…I can't believe you don't know this, dude…" Chad shook his head with a sigh.

Troy looked his friend in the face and tried to fathom what was truth and what was Sharpay's lies to cover her unforgiveable act.

"Are you saying Sharpay started the fight because Gabriella incited her?" Troy asked frankly.

Chad shrugged. "I'm saying that's what I heard."

"She didn't deserve to be hurt." Troy stated softly.

"It was an accident, Troy. An accident from a fight she could have avoided."

"Tell me this, Chad. What makes Sharpay any better? She's a bitch beyond belief."

Chad absorbed this information and squinted at his friend. "She's really not a spoilt brat?" He asked of Gabi.

"She's an amazing girl. If only people would get to know her." Troy assured.

"Then I'll try, dude. Because it means so much to you." Chad offered.

"Thanks." Troy clipped, heading to class with a new worry on his mind. That of what caused the fight that scarred Gabriella.

/

"Do you have your suit for Friday?" Gabi asked Troy shyly as they walked to school. He hadn't taken her hand this morning and she was secretly worried at his silence. He wasn't even smoking.

"Yeah." He answered briefly.

She swallowed and fingered his ring sub-consciously. "Are you changing your mind?" She worried.

He looked to her with a squint. "I heard something yesterday."

"Oh." She frowned. "What did you hear?"

He sighed and paused. "I heard that the fight with Sharpay was because you had sabotaged her dress…"

Gabi felt a pain slip down her body as his look confirmed his uncertainty. He didn't trust her. Strangely she wasn't hurt by this; after all, she had trouble trusting him, too. Only she didn't expect to be in that position, to be the untrusted one and she knew it was justified with her past. A past Troy knew nothing about. And she hoped he never would; but it seemed to be coming back to haunt her now and that was painful.

Before, she didn't even know Troy. They would take the same route but she was in her own little world, all lip-gloss and pretty shoes. It wasn't until after her accident that she had actually realised he was there. And that he was saving her, every day.

She bit her lower lip and prayed he would believe her with what she had to say. He had no reason to take her word over that of his friend's, but for them to survive, he had to.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." She admitted quietly, flicking her eyes up as they came closer to their schools. "I don't have time to tell you it all now…"

"Bunk with me." He stated, looking at her quickly.

"What?"

"Bunk first period, we'll go somewhere and talk. I need you to tell me what happened." He added.

Gabi didn't even need time to think. She looked up to him, in all his lean, muscled glory and nodded. He held out his hand and dragged her through a practised back-route, hiding them from their fellow students and teachers, too.

Worming through a broken fence, he ran into a run-down play area and stepped up onto a swing, throwing himself back and forth on the plastic seat. Gabi followed more slowly, darting looks around her.

"Come on!" He called with a smile, holding out his hand. She frowned at him and walked over, her heart racing with fear as he helped her step onto the small plastic square, about two feet off the ground. The balance was shaky for a moment as the chains adjusted to both their body weights.

"I…" Gabi frowned then paused as Troy's finger brought her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"Let's not talk now." He husked, tilting his face and nudging her nose with his so that they could kiss, their mouths opening and their tongues testing against the other's, new feelings twisting through their bodies as they held the chains for support and kissed for what seemed like forever.

Gabi whimpered as she let go of the chains to grasp his shoulders, finding herself almost thrown backwards until Troy caught her around the waist with one rock-hard arm, pulling her close as he clung onto his chain with expertise.

"Easy…" He teased with a soft smile, blinking. Gabi reached up and touched his hair at his neck, letting her fingers brush his skin too, until he shivered and rolled his shoulder as it tickled him.

"You have an amazing smile," Gabi attempted to compliment him, feeling awkward.

"You made it." He replied easily, grinning.

"Things might change." She worried, taking him back to the day she told him what Sharpay had done.

"I'm still here aren't I?" He asked

"For now." She allowed, looking behind her, ready to step down, but afraid to.

"Hold these…" He rattled the chains and she took them in her hands as he climbed down, careful not to rock her too much.

When he was down, she put her hands onto his shoulders and bent in the middle, letting him lift her down with his strong hold. She blinked up at him, awed.

"You're so strong…"

He shrugged. "I do weights..."

He led her to the slide and sat on the flat, shiny metal, scooting back to make room between his thighs for her. She looked at him with an arched brow before she took the seat, leaning back on his knee so that she were sideways to him instead of cuddled into his body.

"I admit, back then, I wasn't a nice person." She began her story. "And I do feel responsible for how I behaved, sometimes. I _was _a brat, you know? I was spoiled. I didn't know any better."

Troy leaned right back into the slope of the slide, pulling a cigarette out of the crumpled box he carried in his denim jacket top pocket, cupping his hand against the wind to get his lighter to work.

"Is this okay? Sorry, I should have…" He asked.

"It's okay." She interrupted, reaching up to take a small drag on his cigarette before she continued.

"Sharpay and I were _always _in competition. I guess our moms were the real ones arguing and fighting and we both grew up taking that on- carrying on the fight, somehow. She would break a heel off my shoe. I would soak her dress in water. She would steal my make up box or curlers, I would spill nail varnish on her tights- all the girls did it, Troy. It wasn't just us." Gabi laughed to herself as she rolled her eyes. "It's ironic really. A _beauty pageant_ for goodness' sake! And we were all ready to scratch each other's eyes out."

"So Sharpay was lying when she said you caused the fight?" He asked gently, stroking her hair with his free hand as he puffed away.

"_#Puff the magic dragon…# _"she smiled, buying time. "I don't know what happened that day, Troy. I can't say I didn't do anything to her, because I most probably did something. As did she. Only, I never took it this far. I never set out to hurt anyone. I never wanted to cause any pain."

"I trust you." He assured, leaning forward to kiss the side of her head.

"If what I did made her want to scar me, then I am truly sorry for everything I ever did. But I couldn't defend myself when she did this. The hazing was at least on level ground." She added.

"You know what?" He asked thoughtfully and she twisted to look into his eyes, waiting for his cute comment that would no doubt follow.

"What?"

"I'm glad this happened. Because without it, I would never have met this version of you, Gabi. I would never have got to know you." He commented.

"You're glad this happened?" She repeated, hurt, not listening to the true meaning of his words.

"No! I didn't mean it like that, god, of course I'm not _glad…_like that…" He argued, throwing his finished cigarette away as she stood up and he got up, too.

"But you just said…" She asked, bewildered.

"I didn't _mean _it that way. I'm just saying I would never have met you…" He insisted, but she turned and began to walk away, leaving him cursing himself for his lack of sensitivity.

"Gabi!" He called as she began to run.

"Don't follow me!" She called back as he watched her back disappear into the distance.

"Maybe I won't." He sighed to himself.

/

Troy didn't wait for Gabi after school that day. She had kind of hoped he wouldn't so she wouldn't have to face him, but when he wasn't there, she felt a sinking feeling of regret swallow in her belly.

She should never have run off like that; it's all she ever seemed to do and he was obviously fed up of running after her.

They had two more days and then it would be the day of the ball; would he talk to her again before then, she wondered? How was she supposed to make things right?

She walked home alone followed by two girls giggling for some of the way, maybe they were sent by Sharpay to rub it in that she had made a monumental error. Just that morning, when they had kissed that way on the swing, when she had shared his cigarette and her inner-most secrets; she had felt like they could be _something._

What did Troy need? She wondered. What could she give him to show him she was _trying, _even if she was failing with it?

Her father was home from work when she got home; as promised. He even tried to help her with homework as he cooked them some dinner and she found this domesticated version of him somewhat scary.

He quickly deduced there was something wrong and questioned her about it.

"Is everything okay at school?" He checked.

Gabi nodded with a little lip twist. "Yeah."

"And with boys?" He asked.

"How many boys do you think there are, dad?" She asked drily.

"Just the one, right?" He winked. "The one who waits outside and smokes cigarettes…"

She looked up, her eyes saucer-wide. "How did you..?"

"I can smell it on your clothes, Gabi. Unless you started smoking which I sincerely doubt." He added reproachfully.

"No I didn't." She assured, hiding the fact she had taken a total of two drags of Troy's cigarettes.

"Does he know what he's doing to his lungs?" Philip said next. "These boys, they think they're so cool…"

"Dad!" Gabi complained.

"Alright, okay. So what happened?"

"I said something wrong. I think I hurt his feelings." She admitted.

"You couldn't talk to him about it, afterwards?" Philip asked.

"I ran away."

"Ah." He nodded. "That would make it hard to talk…"

Her look was one of utter heart-wrenching desolation; so much so he quickly touched her arm for comfort. "We'll sort it out."

"We?" She frowned.

"Well I'll just help you; I don't plan on talking to him personally…."

"Good because you'd just tell him off for smoking anyway," Gabi guessed astutely.

"Everything will sort itself out, Gabriella." He assured.

"I hope so, dad."


	9. You Always Leave

**CHAPTER 9**

Troy wasn't on her wall. He wasn't at the gate and Chad professed he hadn't seen him, though Gabi suspected he would lie to cover Troy if he had asked him to. Wednesday turned into a fretful day, worrying about where he was and what he was thinking, Couldn't he forgive her already? Couldn't he at least _speak _to her?

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought she imagined it, but on her way home, she saw him; talking to Sharpay. It was behind the bus-shelter on Green's corner and they would have been hidden from view if it hadn't been for Sharpay's sliver head band glinting in the low sun and catching Gabi's attention.

They were in a deep discussion. Troy was taking something from Sharpay. Was that money? She squinted, not being able to see any better.

Her heart stopped in her chest as she imagined the worst, wondering if her abandonment yesterday was the last straw for Troy and maybe he had succumbed to Sharpay's point of view and wanted to take Gabi down too. Why would he be talking to her enemy otherwise?

She ran, as quickly as she could, as fast as her legs would allow and shut herself into the house, breathing heavy breaths as she sobbed uncontrollably.

_She had got to him! Sharpay had got to the only person she trusted! The only person she loved…_

The idea that she loved Troy brought her up sharp.

"Are you okay, honey?" Her father asked, hugging her.

"He was with _her!_" She announced. "He was talking to her and I don't know why and I'm so _stupid!_ Why did I run away like that? Why did I…"

Her father soothed her and sat her on the sofa, calming her enough to get the story out of as to what had happened.

"The plan didn't go to plan, then." He mused of their conversation the night before, where they had decided she would speak to him after school.

"Love sucks." She mumbled to herself.

"You're in _love_?" Philip asked, shocked.

Gabi pulled out her promise ring and showed him.

"Oh, um…" He swallowed.

"It's not what you think…" She rolled her eyes. "It's a promise ring. A promise not to cheat…a commitment ring."

"Ah, I see…"

"What if they're planning something, dad?" She asked, vulnerable.

"Whatever you saw, there has to be some explanation." He assured. "You can talk to him tomorrow and find out."

"That's if he'll talk to me…"

/

Gabi dressed in her black jumpsuit, paired with dark tights and knee-boots, her hair long and wavy over her shoulders like normal, her arms folded like normal and her bag low on her hip, swishing side to side like normal. Her long cardi was wrapped around her hands and she pursed her lips as Coach Bolton opened the door to her.

"Hi. Um, has Troy left yet?" She asked.

"You're Gabriella Montez." Coach Bolton stated.

"Yeah…" She nodded.

"He's inside, but he's running late. Not enough hours in the day to do his damn hair…" Mr Bolton mumbled as he led her into the Bolton household.

She stood inside the hallway with her arms still folded, waiting. Eventually, Troy came out, a piece of toast jammed in his mouth; his arm raised to fix his bag on his back. He paused when he saw her, and then frowned.

"Hi." She greeted.

He took the toast out of his mouth once his bag was in place. "I didn't know it was you." Was all he said.

"Who did you think I was?" She asked back carefully.

"Chad. He told me he might come by." Troy explained.

Gabi nodded, thinking this didn't sound true. "You didn't think I would come?" She wondered.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"I want to apologise, Troy. I'm sorry about the other day…"

"You always leave, Gabi." He accused gently. His didn't even raise his voice; just the hurt tone of his voice said all he needed to say.

"Does it make any difference that I love you?" She asked, looking into his blue eyes and feeling the emotion so true. She didn't care right now if he was being paid by Sharpay, he was looking at her like he never wanted to see her again and she hated it.

He opened his mouth in shock, focusing on her face to check she was telling the truth and she was; just her saying the words was conviction enough.

"It makes all the difference in the world," he said, stepping forward to hug her, toast still in his hand as he pressed his chin into the top of her head and held her close.

"Can I ask you something, Troy?" Gabi looked up and bit her lower lip.

"Yeah, sure…"

"Why was Sharpay giving you money yesterday?"

He lifted his brows, smiling shyly as he blushed and finally looked at her again. "It was my change. I bought prom tickets from her."

"You did?" She asked, touched.

"Yeah…" He nodded. "I kinda hoped we might start talking again by then…" A little smile appeared on his face.

"You two are going to be late!" Coach Bolton chastised, interrupting them. "I'll give you both a lift…"

Gabi smiled back at Troy as he helped her into the back seat of his dad's car.

"Thank you for not giving up on me." She murmured quietly, reaching over to touch his hand.

'I love you, too' he mouthed, linking his fingers through hers, joining their hands.

/

School was boring in comparison to the morning Gabi had had. Troy had said _those _words to her and she felt like she was walking on air.

She could barely control her smile; she could hardly stop the tingling across her skin. Maybe for the first time ever, she didn't even care about her scar. She flicked her hair back, let the stares and comments go unseen and unheard and walked around with a bounce in her step.

"Cinderella goes to the ball…" Sharpay remarked as Gabi packed up her gym kit and got ready to leave; hopefully untouched.

"I'm not Cinderella." Gabi replied, pushing by the blonde who stood between her and the door.

"Oh, I don't know. Wait till midnight hits, Prince Charming might just disappear." Sharpay smiled blandly.

Gabi didn't even try to decipher her threat; she just took a breath and walked on. By the time she reached Troy, she was frowning hard.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked.

"Sharpay is up to something." She told him.

"When isn't she?" Chad inserted.

"Do you know what she's planning?" Troy asked his friend.

"Nope." Chad shook his head.

"But you know she's planning something," Gabi added.

Chad looked to her. "Yeah, that's what I heard."

"I'm not going," Gabi shook her head, feeling the fear and confusion roll up her body.

"Hey…" Troy moved to put his arm around her shoulders, then cuddling her close. "I won't let anything happen."

"I can't do it, Troy. I can't risk being hurt again." She argued.

"There's something you don't know." Troy said, shocking both Gabi and Chad.

"What is it, dude?" Chad asked, while Gabi shook with nerves. Troy kept an arm around her to assure her.

"I know what Sharpay is planning. I have for a while. She's spoken to me a few times and I've played along." He admitted.

Gabi's face fell. "The money!" She gasped.

"Dude, you better watch your back," Chad advised. "Let's get out of here."

The three of them went back to Troy's house and sat in the living room, Chad and Gabi watching each other warily as Troy got their drinks.

"I know how he feels about you and for that reason I'm on your side." Chad offered.

"Thank you, I guess." She mused.

Troy shouldered through the door and set down their soda's, eyeing his two friends.

"Everything ok?" He checked.

"Yup." Chad nodded.

"Okay, where do I start?" Troy wondered, rubbing his hand over his mouth.

"At the beginning?" Gabi suggested.

"Okay, look, she came to me the day she saw you with my ring. She was asking me stuff, like why did I like you and why didn't I take _her _to the dance…" He remembered.

"I mostly ignored it. She didn't know I was the one who told your dad about her bullying you. She truly thought I was playing some kind of game- the one you mentioned with the bets…" Troy looked at Gabi from his seat on the glass coffee-table. She was sat primly, eyeing Chad nervously.

"So what did you say? Why was she paying you?" Gabi asked, afraid that this could be some huge double-crossing, but trying to stay calm.

"She paid me to buy a dumb suit and get a crappy limo to ruin your night. She thinks I'm going to actually do it too," he laughed at the hilarity of it. "Stupid cow."

"Troy, do you have any idea what she might do if you cross her?" Gabi asked fearfully.

"She won't do anything to me. She's too afraid to go against me. At the ball, she's going to try and split us up, but I won't let her." He proclaimed.

"She told me my Prince Charming would disappear at midnight…do you know what she's talking about?" She wondered.

"Gabi, I'm not leaving your side all night." He swore.

"You should listen to Gabi." Chad piped up, surprising them both.

"Chad, you have my back, right?" Troy asked.

"I always have your back, but Gabi's right. I don't trust Sharpay. If she knows she can't bring down Gabriella alone, and she feels like you betrayed her, you might be on her hit-list, too."

Gabi nodded at the black boy. "I don't trust her at all."

"Then what are we meant to do? Sit at home? You have a dress, I have a suit…" He sighed and plopped into the sofa beside Gabi.

"We need someone to find out what she's planning…" Gabi said, touching Troy's knee to comfort him.

"It's not going to be me if she knows we're solid…"

They both looked to Chad and he smiled. "I might just have a way in…."

/

Gabi ate Troy's macaroni cheese and watched while he sat and tried to work out Sharpay's game. It didn't seem like her to do the obvious so the sabotage tricks seemed likely to be a smokescreen for her real plan.

Despite his attempts to assure Gabi that nothing would happen, she remained nervous and fearful of the repercussions.

"I guess my dad will be wondering where I am." She said a bit later.

"Then I should take you home." He suggested.

The old truck in the garage needed a new fuel pump but it got him from A to B- just. He pulled up at her house and jumped out to walk her to the door.

"I'm sorry tonight was screwed up. I had fun that day in the park…" He touched her hair, and then cupped her face.

"I don't know if I can go tomorrow, Troy. I'm so afraid." She admitted.

He hugged her close, willing her to be strong.

"Please don't let her stop us." He begged. "It's what she wants."

She looked up into his face and knew she couldn't let him down again. Showing their faces together at the ball meant a huge deal to him; and she still couldn't work out why he was so keen to show off to the world that they were together, but the fact that he did had her warm and tingly all over.

She reached up to kiss him softly on the lips, the porch light flickering on at the same moment and breaking them apart.

"See you tomorrow," he promised.

"Bye, Troy."

Her father met her on the porch and she smiled at him meekly. "I'm sorry I'm late, I stayed for dinner."

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Not really, no." Gabi admitted, and proceeded to tell him about her worries. It was weird, being able to tell him stuff like this now. Just the fact he was at home was a miracle; and always at the time she needed to talk. She didn't find it hard to open up to him, despite her anger and hurt at his lack of parenting after her mother had left. She'd always been able to talk to him; he'd always been practical and caring.

He just hadn't always been around.

Philip agreed that the girl who was causing trouble might well try and ruin their night, he acknowledged the girl might be jealous and took into account her bullying way- which had so far been mended through the school.

But he was eager to see Gabi attend the ball. It was the first public event she would have been to since her accident and he had Troy to thank for that- firstly for asking her and secondly for encouraging her to go. And thirdly for being there; even when his daughter pushed and pushed him away.

"Its important you go to the dance, Gabi. I'll ask the teachers to keep an extra close eye on everyone." He added.

"Thank you, dad." Gabi smiled lightly. If only that would be enough, she mused.


	10. This is Weird

Mo 9526 I would agree with that statement lol ;)

Gemstar rox- thank you, truly.

Thanks for the reviews everyone

**CHAPTER 10**

"I'm so pumped!" Troy ran ahead and jumped in the air, letting out an excited whoop that would wake the neighbourhood.

"Troy!" Gabi giggled, running after him.

"I can't wait for tonight…" He grinned, holding out his hand to Gabi as she caught him up.

"Me either." She pressed into his side briefly.

"Do you think your dad would notice if we fell asleep again?" He wondered.

She smiled at him. "I don't think he'll let us..."

"What doesn't he trust me" He joked.

"No, he's just being a good parent… for once." She added.

"Darn…" Troy's blue eyes twinkled as she hit him.

"Don't be mean. I'd like to…you know…sleep together again sometime." She hedged. "Is it what you want, too?" She wondered.

"Of course!" He smiled bemusedly, kissing her hand. "I am too excited to even _think _right now!"

"Troy, you know that people are going to look at me funny…" She warned.

"I can't wait." He beamed. "They're all gonna wish they were me."

"I doubt it…" She quipped.

"Well I'm gonna show you off like crazy anyway. You don't know how long it took me to get to this day…" He mused.

"How long?" She wondered as they stopped at her school.

"Long enough." He smiled back, leaning to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you after school."

"My dads picking me up so I can get my hair done…" Gabi explained. "I'll see you at seven when you pick me up."

"Okay, it's a date," he winked, turning to go, and then turning back. He looked right into her eyes and took her hands in his, tilting his head to kiss her. "I love you Gabriella Montez. You're my girl."

She smiled a silly grin and blushed. "I love you, silly billy. Go to school."

He grinned and ran off, complying with her wish. When Gabi turned toward school, Sharpay was stood behind her, about three feet away with her arms folded. When Gabi took a step closer the blonde turned and walked away, a determination set across her face that Gabi had seen before- when she was determined to win something.

/

Her hair was trained back into a beautiful, loose French plait, some curls appearing here and there to soften the look. It went all the way down her back. Her crown was topped with a small, sparkly tiara that matched her tiny drop earrings and refined diamante-set necklace. The dress was a deep, midnight blue and the ruched bodice clung to her curves, giving her some boobs where she didn't normally have much.

She smiled at that, lifting her skirt to see how it swished. It wasn't hooped but it was layered, like a princess' dress, all layers of white net under the deep blue satin. A black sash trimmed her waist in even more; her silver slippers really were something from Cinderella. She had never felt so much like a princess as she did now.

He scar was bared; it took several deep- and continuous- breaths to become okay with that. She had covered it the best she could with make up, but tonight was the first night she was not hiding herself anymore. She was revealing herself, with Troy, to everyone.

Her brown eyes were made up with matching deep blues, and highlights of silver, expertly. Joanne, who had done her hair, had done that, too. Her father had insisted she have a special night and she revelled in it.

But she was chewing her nails as she waited for Troy. He wasn't even late yet and she was panicking. So much could have happened since they parted and she had no phone to contact him with.

Sure enough, the limo pulled up outside, all long and white and perfect. Gabi awed at the beauty of it, and then ran back from the window as Troy got out.

"Is he here?" Philip asked, dragging back the curtain to check.

"Dad!" Gabi complained.

"Oh right, sorry…" He mumbled.

"Do I look ok?" She asked.

"Gabi, you look amazing. You always do." He complimented.

The bell rang and Gabi felt the nerves kick up in her tummy as her dad went to answer the door. Troy ventured inside, looking handsome in his tuxedo, his hair gelled back and his eyes wide with wonder.

"Wow look at you…" He whispered, holding her corsage gently in his palms.

She blinked and blushed, looking down. "It's a nice dress."

"You are so beautiful…" He said, coming over, his eyes bright with excitement, then he remembered his hands were full and he looked to the corsage sheepishly.

"Is that for me?" She checked teasingly.

"Yeah, do you like it?" He wondered, hoping the mix of lilac shades were right for her dark dress.

"It's perfect." She assured.

"Like you." He replied with a smile.

"You look amazing, Troy." She said shyly.

"Ok let's get a picture!" Philip enthused. Gabi rolled her eyes and turned her good side to the camera while they posed with their arms around each other, side by side and making funny faces. Finally, it was time to go.

"Have fun, I'll see you back here at 1am." He said to them both.

"We'll be here," Troy assured.

"Troy. Look after her." Philip asked.

"I will, sir." He nodded.

/

The ball was being held at East High girl's school and the hall had been decorated like Cinderella's boudoir- all pink and fluffy and dream-like. Gabi rolled her eyes derisively at the thought that Sharpay had organised this event- as if you couldn't tell!

She walked in with her hand on Troy's arm, wrapped around his muscles as she clung to him nervously.

"I don't think I can do this…" She panicked, seeing Chad come toward them.

"Hey…" Troy looked down on her and turned to touch her face- the side she hated people touching; only with him, she didn't flinch. "You can do this."

"Hey, partygoers!" Chad smiled at them and touched them each on the shoulder. "Gabi, I love your dress, you look great…" he smiled.

Gabi blushed. "Thank you."

Troy dropped his hand to interlink their fingers and he squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"Hey, buddy. What's the score?" Troy asked.

"You can't miss Sharpay, she's like a huge pink…thing!" Chad struggled to describe.

"Well, why doesn't that surprise me…" Troy remarked.

"Hey, come get some punch…" Chad wiggled his brows and Troy grinned at him.

"Awesome."

Gabi followed, darting looks around her nervously to try and work out what people were thinking- or saying- about her coming here tonight, uncovered, with Troy.

She twisted her lips, looking over her shoulder, sighting Sharpay standing with her gang, whispering behind their drinks and she felt the age old fear creep up her veins. She would not let tonight go unpunished if Gabi knew her as well as she thought. And for once she wasn't backing down. She was afraid; more so of losing Troy as a result of any game Sharpay had to play than anything else, but it was fear all the same.

"Hey…" Troy's familiar soft call brought her gaze back to him and she pressed her lips together apologetically.

"Hey."

"Don't pay her any attention." He commanded gently, leaning toward her to press his forehead to hers so they both went cross-eyed.

She smiled stupidly back at him, giggling as she did so. "Okay."

"Wanna dance?" He asked, leaning back.

She nodded and he took her to the dance floor, bringing her close as they circled the floor.

"I can't believe we're doing this…" Troy mused as the music slowed and they swayed side to side, closer now and gazing at each other, oblivious to all around them.

"Me either. I wasn't even going to come…"

"I never thought I would get you to," he grinned.

"You can understand why." She defended gently.

"But then we would have never had this moment." He argued, lifting his hand to cup her face.

"Troy…" She frowned, about to stop him from doing what she had dreamed of all those weeks ago. But it was too late, he was set on his path and his lips closed down on hers, kissing her softly, under the disco-ball, in the middle of the dance floor in front of all of their school friends.

"I love you, Gabriella." He said.

"Troy?" A sharp, high pitched voice broke them apart, Sharpay standing right beside them with her hands on her hips.

"Shar." He sighed, standing straight but not letting go of Gabi. She wriggled in his arms and put her head down, practically hiding in his chest.

"Will you dance with me?" Sharpay asked innocently.

"Gabriella is my date." Troy replied firmly, rubbing Gabi's back soothingly, then letting his fingers run over her plait.

"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you, Gabi." Sharpay addressed the smaller girl.

"Really?" Gabi asked disbelievingly, with sarcasm.

"Yes, I think we should start over, you know? We have our past and I know I wasn't a good friend. But you're with Troy now and I know what I did was wrong." The blonde girl appealed.

Gabi wasn't buying any of it. There was only one reason Sharpay would say such things- because she wanted to steal Troy from her and this was her way of duping Troy into thinking she had changed.

"You can have your dance, Sharpay." Gabi offered, walking away toward the drinks table.

"Hey!" Taylor greeted her, out of breath.

"Hey." Gabi helped herself to punch as a confused looking Troy danced with her arch enemy. She knew what he was thinking- he had denied Sharpay in front of her and now she had gone and given in to the blonde bully. Well, he'd have to deal with that because all Gabi could think was that while Sharpay was distracted with him, she didn't have time to plan her revenge.

"You look amazing, I love your dress!" Taylor enthused.

"Thank you, you look amazing too." Gabi smiled shyly.

"So…you and Troy…" Taylor arched a brow as the two girls faced each other, Gabi crossed one arm across her body, noticing Taylor's gaze flick over her scars.

"We came together." Gabi supplied.

"And?" Taylor beamed.

"And what?"

"That kiss!" Taylor goaded. "Are you going all the way tonight?"

Gabi looked at her patiently, wondering if Taylor thought she might actually tell her something like that.

"I hadn't planned to." Gabi remarked, feeling awkward.

"Honey, you two look amazing together." Taylor rubbed her arm and Gabi looked at her hand in contempt.

"Don't pretend to be my friend." Gabi accused.

Taylor opened her mouth in hurt shock and retracted her hand, lost for words. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Is everything okay?" Troy asked, standing behind Taylor having noticed the frosty atmosphere from five paces ago.

"Everything is fine." Taylor told him while she met Gabi's gaze. "I'm on your side, Gabi, I promise." She added, squeezing her hand before she walked away, leaving Troy and Gabi alone.

"What was that about?" He wondered.

"Nothing." Gabi sighed distractedly, and then focused on him. "Where's Sharpay?"

"Up there…" He pointed to the stage where the band was and Gabi noticed she was about to start a speech and there were awards lined up on her lectern.

"What is she doing?" Gabi wondered suspiciously.

"Eh-hem…" The microphone Sharpay was holding let out a scream of feedback until it settled. "Well, welcome students of East High Girl's School and West High's Boy's School…" She began.

"Wel-come…" A murmur replied to her call.

"I am Sharpay Evans and I organised tonight, so I have some awards we created to pass out seeing as this is as good as our prom…" She remarked, pursing her lips.

"This is weird…" Troy frowned.

"So, let's start with our votes at East High for 'Prom King'…a tightly voted category…" Sharpay snorted with laughter to herself as she unfolded a card handed to her by one of her cronies.

"It's you." Gabi guessed, bringing Troy's gaze to her.

"How do you…?" He began.

"Troy Bolton!" Sharpay called loudly, cutting him off.

"What?" He cast out, shocked.

"Go get 'em," Gabi smiled, tiptoeing to kiss his cheek.

He shook his head, flummoxed. "This is fixed…"

"Do you think?" She muttered when he had gone to collect his trophy.

"Okay 'Prom Queen'," Sharpay announced next, unfolding the card and placing a pink-gloved hand over her mouth in shock surprise. "Ohmygod! It's me! Sharpay Evans!"

"Oh, pur-lease…" Gabi rolled her eyes, watching as Sharpay linked arms with Troy, who was now wearing a fake crown and was carrying a staff.

"Oh…I almost forgot…" Sharpay cleared her throat, returning to the mike stand. "There is a special prize tonight, I made it up myself."

Gabi squinted, wondering what was coming next. She looked either side of her and found everyone was equally confused. Everyone except the Sharpay fan club in the corner who smiled knowingly.

"This award goes to the Ugliest Beast of East High…Winner, Gabriella Montez!"


	11. Tonight is About Us

**As noted by Anna, smoking is neither big nor clever and as an ex-smoker I can happily state it's the worse thing to take up. So even though Troy makes it seem cool- it's NOT. And please don't shorten your life or risk your health to be like him. Thank you.**

Thank you for reviews as always and those of you who really type what you think make me smile!

'the once anonymous 14' – too much sugar- and 'life sux and then u die' – the beast is the one talking- love it ;)

p.s Tenney- holy shit balls- seriously I laughed so hard at that!

If anyone has any story suggestions for me to read let me know!

**CHAPTER 11**

Even with her hands over her ears and tears streaming from her eyes, forcing them closed in pain, Gabi could still hear Sharpay's announcement and see the thousand looks to her at that moment when everyone realised how Sharpay had screwed her over.

She had felt so _beautiful _tonight. She had felt like she belonged, like she had a place and that actually, things might be alright. In a matter of seconds, her nemesis had changed all that; irrevocably. She could never go back there now. She could never show her face again.

She didn't even wait for Taylor or look for Troy as she ran, she just made sure she lost herself in the darkness; too ashamed to go home before curfew. How was she meant to tell her dad she got awarded with the Ugliest Beast award? How was he meant to hear that his daughter had been destroyed in front of everyone that way?

She knew they would find her eventually though, and although he was the last person she wanted to see, she was glad it was her dad's car that pulled up by the path next to the woods where she ran for comfort and anonymity.

She heard two doors open and cringed as she imagined Troy there and she hid her face, under her released hair, in her arms as she heard footsteps approach.

"Gabi, honey…" Philip's voice soothed her as he scrambled down beside her.

"Is he here, dad?" She mumbled from her arms.

"Yeah, he told me where to find you…" He answered easily, knowing exactly who she was referring to.

"I can't see him now." She whispered, frightened.

"It's ok, honey, shh, it's okay…" Her dad assured, hugging her as she sobbed out her pain, eventually clinging onto his neck to hug him back.

"Let's get you back to the car…" He suggested, helping her up, throwing his jacket around her to keep her warm. Gabi sensed Troy's presence, stood by the passenger side, his demeanour showing his nerves and worry without him having to say a word.

Gabi avoided his gaze as she climbed in the back and cuddled up on the back seat, still crying and sniffling helplessly as the two men looked at each other.

"If you get in, I'm sure she'll want to talk to you later." Philip offered.

Troy nodded and slid back into the car, throwing a look over his shoulder to Gabi's huddled form, wishing he could comfort her.

Watching her leave the ballroom had been the worst moment of his life and his horror at Sharpay's plan had overwhelmed his normally calm temperament. Luckily for him, more people seemed to be on his side than hers and he wondered if Chad and Taylor hadn't been working hard to change people's opinions of Gabi since they'd been together.

Philip copied his action as he belted up and started the car; checking on Gabi before pulling away. On the way back, he flicked a look to Troy.

"Thank you for coming to me." He expressed now that their panic had calmed.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Troy relented.

"I don't think you can be responsible for that, Troy." Philip assured.

"I said I would take care of her." He blamed himself.

"You did the right thing." Philip repeated.

Troy pressed his lips together and looked into the back seat again, noticing the cries had stopped. By the time they pulled up at the Montez' house, it was obvious Gabi had fallen asleep.

Troy watched as Mr Montez lifted her out and took her to her room, laying her on the bed and tilting his head.

"She's my little girl." He beseeched. "Why do they have to be so cruel?"

Troy realised the older man had tears in his eyes and he stepped up to touch his shoulder.

"She outshines all those other girls. They're jealous of that…" He tried to comfort the man.

"She lost her mom. Can't they see what she went through? Can't they give her a break?" His voice broke too with the word and his body rocked with his unspent sobs and Troy found himself unsure of what to say or do. He didn't have to worry for long because Philip turned and left the room, obviously embarrassed at his outburst.

Troy bit into his upper lip as he watched him go, and then closed the door behind him. He set about removing Gabi's dress to make her comfortable, finding her dressing gown and putting it over her gently, stroking a comforting hand over her shoulder as he did so. He pulled up the duvet and shrugged out of his jacket, ridding his tie and stripping off his shirt so he could relax in his vest and trousers, against her head board.

He watched as she slept, stroked her hair if she fidgeted and constantly blamed himself for the events of the night. He should never have taken her. He should never have put her in that vulnerable situation.

He wondered, as he sat there, if she would ever forgive him. He wondered, even, if she would ever recover.

/

"Troy?" a croaky voice called for him. He awoke groggily and realised he had fallen asleep awkwardly against Gabi's headboard, all crooked and painful.

"Ouch…." He murmured, straightening by slipping down onto the mattress and stretching out. "You okay?" he whispered back.

He squinted in the twilight and her silence told him more than he needed to know. He rolled onto his side and held her, cuddling her into his strong arms.

"I'm sorry, Gabi." He whispered.

/

Gabi chewed on her midnight snack and looked at her two men with big brown eyes, trying to gauge their reactions so that she could say the right things to assure them.

Her father looked exhausted; like he had never predicted having so much to deal with and she felt bad for bringing the stress lines to his face. Troy was more relaxed. Their cuddle while she had slept had been her life-line. If she hadn't woken up in his arms, with the irrevocable evidence that she was loved, then this dinner might have turned out differently. But he had been there. And he had held her while she needed to held. And although they hadn't talked, he understood her silence and didn't try to break it.

"Thanks for the food, Mr. Montez," Troy spoke then. "It was awesome."

"You're welcome." Philip replied, smiling tightly before he checked on Gabriella to make sure she had eaten.

"It was lovely, dad." She added, bringing his gaze to her.

"How are you feeling now?" He wondered, reaching out to cup her upper arm.

She nodded and pressed her lips together, not sure what words could describe how she felt. Mortified? Destroyed? More in love with Troy than ever before?

"Okay." She answered carefully.

"Why don't you and Troy watch some TV for a while?" He suggested.

"Doesn't your dad wonder where you are?" She asked Troy instead.

Troy smiled softly. "He already called. He said it's cool for me to stay."

Gabi looked to her father, wondering if he agreed to this. He nodded and she knew then that he had clicked onto how important Troy was to her and it struck her that although he didn't know how to deal with the fallout of the ball, he somehow knew Troy did and he wanted him around to help.

She kind of gave him silent brownie points for that, thinking he wasn't such a bad dad after all, when he was home to be one.

"Can we watch a DVD?" She appealed to her best friend.

"Sure," Troy nodded, getting up from the dinner table to come over and hold out his hand for her to take. She slipped hers into it and followed him to the lounge, casting a look back on her father before they went in through the door.

"He seems so sad," she sighed.

"Your dad?" Troy checked with lifted brows and she nodded to confirm. "Yeah, it kinda hit him hard."

"That's the worse thing about it…" She mused, frowning a little. "I kind of _expect _it now, you know? But I didn't want him to know what people thought of me."

"It's what one person thinks, Gabi. No-one else thought what happened was funny or justified." He swore seriously.

"Does she really like you that much?" She asked, trying to make sense of it all, the pain washing over her in burning waves as she remembered the moment over and over, like a bad song she couldn't get out of her head.

"She doesn't even know me. Not like you do. She just wants to be popular." He smirked, sitting on the sofa and pulling Gabi into his lap, curling her into his arms.

"I feel…empty….like my whole heart has been zapped out and there's nothing of me left." She commented with a raw voice, clinging to his top as she snuggled closer.

He held her tightly and winced at her words, not knowing what to say to make her feel better.

"You're always you, Gabi. They can't take that away from you. You might lose your way sometimes but I have faith in you." He assured.

"I'm sorry you saw that Troy. I cringe just thinking about it…" She apologised weakly.

"Hey, don't you for one second apologise for what Sharpay did." He said firmly. "She got her reward- they expelled her for what she did."

"What?" She gasped, looking into his face.

"It's true. She's out. She won't be able to hurt you again."

"I can't believe they did that…Why..?" She was bewildered, trying to imagine a world where Sharpay didn't rule by fear.

"Why? Gabi, what she did to you was horrendous." He argued and he felt her shudder as she remembered it again.

"I didn't expect them to expel her." She said again.

"Well, they did. You'll be safe now." He added tightening his arms a little as he said it, then loosening them again, a soft smile creping across his lips as he brushed her hair from her face. "You don't have to hide anymore."

"Do you know what hurts me the most?" She beseeched with her large eyes, comfortable in his arms while his fingers traced tender lines down her face and hair. He shook his head, indicating for her to continue.

"That our first date was ruined." She explained, "Her words destroyed me. I felt mortified when she did that, but I wanted tonight to be so special…"

He kissed her forehead before he sighed. "You don't know how special every night with you is to me. Every moment."

"Troy…" She rolled her eyes, blushing at his words.

"I mean it, Gabi. My dad is off god knows where, doing god knows what and sure, its nice he can be casual enough to let me stay here tonight. But do you know how much it hurts me deep down that he doesn't even care that I'm not home? He didn't even ask me how tonight went. He didn't ask me anything about you or where we're at or all the normal things dads ask their sons when they're actually interested in their lives. You're the only one who _cares_ about me."

"Your mom cares." She answered, tucking his too-long hair behind his ear affectionately. "Just like me."

He rubbed his lips together and squinted into her eyes. "I wish he did, too."

She changed positions in his lap, getting onto her knees to hug him around the neck, comforting him the same way he had her just moments before.

"_Damn!_" He swore.

"What? What is it?" She pulled back, concerned.

"Tonight wasn't about me…" He sighed heavily.

"Tonight is about both of us." She said, cupping his face.

"But…"

Her lips came down on his softly, but with purpose and he couldn't deny how good it felt to be kissing her again. He didn't expect it to happen tonight, not after everything else, but here it was.

Tonight was different, he could feel it in his blood as she sank her hands into his hair and wriggled closer, her position in his lap perfect for him to be able to run his hands up her sides and tickle them into her mane of hair.

She touched his neck and shoulders, familiar ground, before letting her hands draw lower to his chest. His hard, unrelenting muscles excited her fingers and brought her breaths sharply in and out, something she wasn't used to as she struggled to breathe.

"You okay?" He checked, bracing her waist which was festooned by her dressing gown.

"I…I'm fine…" She assured breathily, her dark, intrigued eyes fixing on his before they flicked to his mouth and she tilted her head to kiss him again, this time straddling his thighs as her need became greater. The burning ache she felt deep inside, it was foreign, but she liked it and she wanted more as her hands trailed lower still, to his tummy. There, she pulled out his vest and worked it up his torso, meeting his eyes as she had to break the kiss to pull it off completely.

She took her time and slowly peeled the white cotton vest from his body, revealing tanned, taut skin beneath that made her want to kiss him all over. Troy Bolton had _the_ best body, she thought to herself as she paused from her action, feeling frightened now she had bared him.

He smiled at her, his hands dropping from her waist to cover hers that were hooked onto his belt.

"We don't have to do anything," he whispered, assuring her. She took another moment and licked her lips, leaning forward to experimentally kiss him again, letting her hands retake their previous trip over his upper body.

Satisfied that he wouldn't take advantage of her, she leaned back to untie her robe, fighting with it a little before she flung it away, behind her.

"Stupid thing…" she muttered as it went, cross with it having got caught.

Troy chuckled at her, and then stared in silence at her; her amazing, curvy body bared too before him.

"Oh wow," he barely managed a whisper, his eyes darting from her shapely legs wrapped around his, to her rounded hips, up her toned stomach and to her small, perfectly sized breasts.

He let his hands do the talking as they covered every inch, finally cupping her bra- clad breasts.

"Oh god!" She sobbed, both her hands flying up to cover her face.

"Whoa, Gabi…"

"I shouldn't have started this. I should never have…I'm so sorry…I…" Her breaths were fast and panicked and her words did not make sense but he knew she was flipping out and he loved that he knew that about her.

"Hey…hey…" He tried to snap her out of it, gently grasping her arms and hands as she rocked crazily from side to side, still covering her face.

"Stupid, stupid…" She berated herself.

"You are not stupid…" He smiled at this, capturing her into a hug before she could climb out of his lap.

"I can't do this, Troy. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I thought I could. I wanted to…"

"Would you _hush?_" He commanded, chuckling at her crazy words.

"I never meant to…" She began again.

"I understand." He interrupted. "You don't have to feel bad or apologise."

"But…but…"

"But what?" He asked softly, moving her hands from her face.

"When…oh god how do I say this?" She wondered.

"Just say it." He insisted.

"When I dated this guy, before the scars; before I met you, if we were making out and I stopped, or felt weird, he said that I was teasing him. He said I couldn't keep stopping. That it's painful for boys you know…" She beseeched, referring to his arousal.

Troy closed his eyes and sighed, wrapping his arms back around her. "That's bullshit."

"It doesn't hurt?" She checked.

He twisted his lips. "Maybe a little. But it goes. It doesn't mean anything if you're not right with it." He added.

"I want to be right with it," she said in a small voice, her eyes sad and regretful.

"Well it's okay if you're not." He repeated. "I promise I'll take care of you, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded, showing her vulnerability and he knew that tonight was not the right time for them.

"Let's get that DVD in before your dad busts us…" He grinned to break the awkward moment.

Gabi smiled back and kissed him on the lips before retrieving her gown, curling up beside him, under his arm that encased her into his side.

Troy Bolton had more than the best body. He had the best heart, too.


	12. Not exactly

Just one more chapter after this! :(

I am posting bodyguard after this one.

Thanks as always for comments :)

**CHAPTER 12**

Walking to school on Monday wasn't easy. Her dad had offered to drive her and she had said no, preferring to go with Troy like they used to before the incident went down.

They had spent their weekend together. On Saturday once they had got up and Troy had gone home for a change of clothes, he had taught her how to skateboard. On Sunday they had studied together under the watchful eye of Mr. Montez.

He had been sat on her wall when she had come down from her room, ready for school physically, if not emotionally.

"There's my girl!" He beamed as he jumped down, wearing jeans and a black hoodie.

"Hi."

"You okay?" He frowned.

"Not really." She admitted.

"What's up?" he asked, coming closer.

"I didn't want to go today but my dad made me." She sighed.

"Hey, things will be better now," he assured.

"Mmm maybe…" She worried.

"I'm here for you." He reminded her.

"I know, thank you." She smiled genuinely. "I just think Sharpay's gang might take up where she left off."

"They wouldn't dare." He arched his brow, then linked his hand with hers. "Let's take the long way round, we can talk more."

"I don't feel like talking…" Gabi sulked as he dragged her away by the hand.

"Not even to me?" He asked cutely.

"Nope." She shook her head.

"You look pretty today." He stated, noticing the top half of her hair was plaited over the other half, revealing her high cheekbones and pointy chin.

"You always say that," she looked to him with a derisive roll of her eyes.

"You always look pretty." He returned easily.

"You're not helping." She insisted quietly.

"Gabi, you're worrying over nothing…" Troy begged, reaching across for her hand but she snatched it away from him, glaring at him.

"I'm worrying over nothing?" She repeated, angrily.

"I didn't mean that…" He sighed, rethinking his words.

"The whole school watched on as I got awarded the ugliest beast award and I'm worrying over nothing?" She repeated, astounded at his flippancy.

"That's why I'm here, so you can tell me how you feel…" He tried to make things better.

"You want to know how I feel?" She asked, not wanting an answer. He knew better than to reply. "I feel like I can't show my face again in that place. I feel like everyone is staring at me even when they're not. I feel like Sharpay might be right and maybe I'm fooling myself to think otherwise- what if I really am an ugly beast? I don't know how to cope with that, Troy. I don't know how to cope with any of this…" Gabi saw his blue eyes turn from apologetic to concerned and she ran before he could say anything more, only she couldn't miss his shouts after her.

"Gabi! Don't run away…"

/

'_So I did it again. I ran away when I shouldn't have.'_

Taylor unfolded and read the note Gabi had passed her, shocked by the content. Since when had Gabi decided to trust her? All the same, she was and she had to think of a reply.

Taylor had noticed the switch in the atmosphere at East High. Sharpay's gang had disbanded and people were shocked by her evil game. Sympathy flowed for Gabriella and more and more people were speaking to her as the spell Sharpay had cast melted away.

'What can you do to make it up to him?' Taylor replied knowingly.

Gabi looked to her while Mr. Pinkleton chattered on about Victorians and then she composed her response.

'I don't know, any ideas?'

Actually, Taylor did have an idea but first she needed to work out why it was that Gabi was running away. Troy had only confided in her so much, she still didn't understand their relationship fully.

'Why don't you surprise him, later? But talk to me; tell me why you're scared?'

The note slipped sideways as Mr. Pinkleton moved toward the window and Gabi cupped it under her palm until it was safe to read a reply.

The bell went before she had the chance to write back but Taylor kept her back, by the lockers while she sought her response.

"Last night Troy was perfect. I have so many hang ups. He can't honestly want to be with me while I'm so messed up…" Gabi worried to her old friend.

"Gabi, you have the biggest heart I know. I don't see any reason why he wouldn't want to be with you." Taylor argued.

"I keep running away!" She berated herself.

"But you go back. And that's what you're gonna do tonight. After dark, when everything is quiet in the Bolton household, you're going to climb his balcony and surprise him." Taylor suggested.

"I'm not ready to sleep with him." Gabi defended quickly.

"I'm not saying you should!" Taylor laughed. "Just, surprise him."

"If you're sure…" Gabi frowned, not seeing how that would work _at all_. What was she supposed to say to him? She just dropped by?

"I'm sure."

"I can't see why I can't just meet him after school…" Gabi muttered confusedly.

"Trust me." Taylor said firmly. "I know what I'm talking about."

/

Taylor might know what she was talking about, Gabi mused hours later, but climbing the side of Troy's house was near-on impossible. Girls just weren't built for such things.

Still, she wasn't going to give up that easily. It would be the hardest – and possibly most stupid- thing she had ever done but this was her romantic life on the line.

Troy was right, she _had _been worrying about nothing and sometimes he said things the wrong way; but his concern for her was paramount and she still didn't get it, but she had to accept it was what it was.

The gutter pipe was bolted down firmly so the trip upwards wasn't too horrific. Getting from the pipe to the balcony was tricky. She was glad no-one could see her; it was about the most unladylike thing she ever had to do, getting across there.

She landed awkwardly with a thud, crying out in pain as her ankle twisted beneath her, leaving her covered in dirty patches and ivy leaves, writhing on the floor.

"What the..?" Mr Bolton asked the bundle on his balcony, having been awoken by the noise.

"Hi, Mr. Bolton." Gabi smiled sheepishly at the adult, cursing Taylor even more now that she'd been caught.

"You better come with me…" The man frowned, helping her to stand and hobble on her sore ankle.

"I meant to knock, really I did, and it just seemed so late and…" she blabbered as he helped her to the room next door, knocking it and waiting.

Eventually Troy appeared, topless and in his pyjama bottoms, his hair skewiff with sleep.

"Dad?" He questioned.

"I think this is for you…" He commented drily, holding forth Gabriella. "See to her ankle, she twisted it climbing the pipe."

"Thank you Mr Bolton!" Gabi said gratefully to his face. "Please don't call my dad…" she muttered to herself.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, widening his door and flicking his light on, illuminating the appealing sculpture of his body.

"I fell." She mused pressing her lips in at one edge of her mouth.

"Come here…" He quickly offered, assisting her to his bed where she collapsed. His gentle hands quickly removed her footwear and sock and he vanished for the first aid kit.

When he came back in, she was looking at him with her big, brown eyes and he couldn't help the melting in his heart.

"I'm sorry my dad didn't help you." He offered.

"I'm sorry I ran off earlier, Troy. It's why I came. It was Taylor's idea to climb up here…I'm going to kill her tomorrow," she promised.

She winced as he touched a sore part of her ankle and he gazed at her for a moment in silent apology. "I looked for you after school…"

"She told me not to meet you. God, why did I ever listen…?" She wondered to herself now.

"Because now we get to spend the night." He smiled up at her, having finished wrapping her injury.

She didn't say anything back and he read her silence perfectly. "Does your dad know you're here?"

"Not exactly." She admitted.

"Then I'll take you home." He offered, standing.

"But you're in your pyjama's…" She argued, guilty for unsettling him.

"It's cool; I can take the truck." He promised, slinging on a t-shirt and helping her to stand. "Want me to carry you down?"

"No, I'm ok…" She limped along the hallway and down the stairs where he supported her into the truck.

The drive was short and silent and as soon as they reached her house, she could see the lights on so she knew her dad was up; she just didn't know if he had noticed her missing yet.

Troy looked over to her and smiled mischievously. "I love that you snuck out for me."

She blushed and pressed her lips in. "I had to do something."

"I would have forgiven you, you know," he smiled.

"That's doesn't make it right for me to run away every time…"

"But when you come after me, I love it so much more…" He grinned, then opened his door and jumped out, opening her door to help her down.

"Ouch…" She winced as she touched the ground. He helped her to the porch, pausing as they faced each other.

She looked up to him and smiled a little. "I love you, Troy."

"I love you, too." He smiled back, kissing her on the mouth.

"Ah, there you are…" Philip commented, finding his teenage daughter on the porch, kissing her boyfriend.

"Dad!" She blushed, chastising him.

"I came to say goodnight and you weren't there. I was worried." He frowned.

"I'm ok, see?" She assured, silently apologising to Troy. "See you tomorrow."

She tiptoed and kissed his cheek and he waved goodbye to them both as he jogged back down the path to his truck.

"Why did you sneak out, Gabi?" Philip asked.

She rolled her eyes knowing her real reason was entirely too ridiculous to repeat.

"I just wanted to see Troy." She answered instead.

"You should tell me when you go out, especially after dark…" He said.

"Really dad? Thanks." She remarked.

"Hey, I was calling everyone we know…"

"I'm sorry. We had an argument. I had to see him." She repeated.

"I know I wasn't around before and you made your own rules, but I'm home now and I want to know where you are."

"Would you have let me go?" She enquired pointedly.

"Maybe not." He conceded.

"I'm tired. Can I go to bed now?" She begged.

"Of course…is your ankle okay, you're limping?" He checked.

"Don't ask, dad," she mused wryly. "Just don't ask…"


	13. The Look of Love

Romance lover- I also saw Katie's programme last week and I hadn't seen it before I wrote this but I have suffered my own facial hang-ups so I used that for inspiration- however Katie and the people she is helping are amazingly brave and awe-inspiring so not a patch on anything I can imagine :)

I met Vanessa and her mum Gina at the UK Sucker Punch premiere this week and it was AMAZING!

Blog is on zefron dot com under 'Everything Else' and 'My Sucker Punch UK Premiere pics'.

And people, you are amazing, thank you so much one again for coming along for the ride I hope you keep reading and enjoy the next story just as much!

**CHAPTER 13**

"Did your dad go mental?" Troy asked the next morning.

"Kind of…it was okay, though." Gabi assured. "No puff the magic dragon?" She enquired.

"Your dad gave some patches to help me quit…" Troy grinned.

"Oh, jeez…" She rolled her eyes.

He held her hand, smiling at her cutely. "My mom called me last night."

"She did? Oh wow, that's so cool!" Gabi enthused, knowing how much he missed his mom.

"Well it is and it isn't…" He added, frowning now.

"She wants you to go stay with her." Gabi predicted.

"Yeah. When the divorce is final I'll have a semester in each city." He mused.

"Oh, Troy," she stopped and hugged him quickly.

"Unless I chose if I just want to live with mom, or dad; and then I get to stay one place and go the other for holidays…"

"They're making you choose all this?" She asked, shocked.

"Not exactly. They chose for me but I can put a request in, if I want."

"I don't want you to go but I know how hard it is with your dad…" She allowed.

"But if I lived with him, I'd be with you." He reasoned.

"When are you going to your mom's?"

"For spring break. Next week." He added.

Gabi nodded. "You might really like it there."

"It won't have you." He replied.

"I'll be here when you come home."

"Do you think your dad would let me stay over before I go?" He wondered.

"I can ask…" She promised.

"I just hope her new boyfriend isn't a total ass-crack," he mused, making Gabi burst out in giggles.

"Me too!"

/

Mr Montez agreed to the sleepover on Friday night. It was like any other sleepover- they had pizza and chips and sugary snacks, DVD's stacked up in the living room and spare bedding stacked up on the arm of the sofa that they shared.

Gabi sat beside Troy while her dad was in the room and then when he went out, Troy leaned on the sofa arm and cuddled her into his chest. Mr Montez made a surprise appearance for a 'book' one time when they had settled down like that and Troy had smiled as innocently as he could at the older man as he'd passed back through.

"He doesn't trust me…" Gabi sighed.

"I think you'll find it's me he doesn't trust," Troy corrected.

Gabi twisted so she could face him, leaning on his chest for support. "You're perfectly well-behaved." She assured.

"Maybe…" He smiled mischievously, cupping her waist as she sank down over his thigh, bringing their pelvises together. He brushed his hands over her hips, cupping her backside as she played with his hair.

"Well, you were…" She adjusted of his good behaviour.

He cupped the back of her head with his hand and brought her mouth to his for a kiss, the resulting slow, sensual touch of lips igniting their growing need for more. Gabi rubbed against his well- positioned thigh and sighed out as he dipped his head and kissed her neck.

Soon they were rolling over, Troy seeking space between her thighs as her hands worked over his muscles, baring his torso once more. He paused from their kisses, waiting for her reaction, seeing if she was still frightened.

"I'm okay," she smiled, touched by his checking she was ok; grasping his shoulders as she rose for more body to body contact.

Troy kissed her skin, removing her clothes, tasting her all over with gentle, soft kisses as they struggled to remove clothing and remain on the sofa; without creating havoc.

They both laughed when they clashed heads or collided hands and they would look at each other, lost again while they began kissing once more.

When he began to kiss down her collarbone, Gabi knew what was coming next. She had frozen like a deer in headlights when he had touched her there before, but his mouth was burning a hot and irresistible trail, only when he reached the cloth of her bra, she stiffened instinctively, cursing her natural reaction.

"It's okay…" He whispered, leaning up to kiss her forehead, looking into her eyes. "We can stop anytime…I'm not like that jerk you dated before."

"There's something I don't want you to see," she admitted fearfully. "It's not about us. I want this as much as you do."

He squinted into her eyes, brushing her hair back, his proud, heavy and hot manhood pressed into her perfectly smooth belly as he smiled slowly. He didn't seem like so much of a boy when he was naked and muscled in her arms, he seemed like a man; and she felt just like a woman, ready to share herself with him and show him how she felt.

"Do you want the lights off?" He asked confusedly, touching her skin, assuring her he loved her no matter what.

"No, I want to show you but I'm scared, okay? Just…don't freak out, okay?" She begged.

He nodded and held his weight on his arms as she hitched up beneath him to unhook her bra, her breath catching as she peeled it off, closing her eyes and pressing her lips in as she did so.

He saw it right away, the dimple in her left breast, red and deep, jagged at the edges like her glass scars on her cheek. He guessed a piece must have gotten loose somehow and done damage lower down. Her face was tight with fear and his heart broke at her misconception that her scars were ugly. He looked upon that little pink mark as another reason to love her more.

Gabi gasped as hot, damp lips kissed ever so tenderly in the spot she had been trying so hard to hide and her eyes flew open in utter shock at Troy's reaction. He didn't even look up, he was too busy focusing on suckling her and making her moan out loud, she mused as she did just that.

She marvelled at his adoration of her and felt tears of happiness slide from her eyes as he lifted his head to look at her, his body telling her what his voice could not. She nodded, ready to take this journey with him, biting her lip as he shifted and joined them, his heat a strange and unusual feeling she wasn't quite sure she liked.

"Oh, wow…" He sighed, moving within her, thrusting slowly so she could catch up and enjoy it as much as he was.

She closed her eyes and lifted her hips, finally finding the pleasure she sought as his manhood brushed her pleasure-zone deep inside, causing her to try the same thing again and they both found their rhythm awkwardly, in fussy uneasiness.

"You're amazing…" He whispered as he kissed her face, rocking harder as he fought his breaking point.

Gabi wished she could say the same as Troy ejaculated into his condom; but as pleasurable as it had been, she hadn't felt the high he obviously had. He kissed her lips, shifting gently to remove his used sheath and then she felt him touch her gently, between her thighs.

"Troy, no…" She begged softly.

"Shh, wait…" He promised, kissing her mouth, finding her pleasure-spot and pressing it expertly.

Her face changed from anxious, to one of utter bliss as the gentle waves of her orgasm shuddered through her body, each with a little sound or moan that enraptured him.

Her eyes opened to him, in awe of what he had done to her and he couldn't help the satisfied grin that rolled across his face. "You're beautiful when you do that."

She reached up and kissed him on the mouth, lingering in the moment.

"I've never given myself to anyone before, Troy." She admitted shyly and his face dropped to horror.

"I thought you had, with your ex..?" He asked.

"No, he was an ass-crack." She smirked at his apt phrase she had stolen.

"Oh god, Gabi, why didn't you say something?" He burrowed his head into her hair, holding her close.

"Because it was perfect." She assured.

He dipped his head to kiss her skin, over her chest and licking into her neck, sucking there gently.

"How am I going to cope a whole week without you?" He wondered.

"I'm always here, Troy. I'm not going anywhere." She promised.

"I'm always here for you too, even if I'm not…here." He said confusedly making her smile.

"Iloveyou." She whispered quickly as one word.

"Iloveyoutoo," he whispered back.

/

"He's only been gone a few days…" Philip commented as Gabi dropped into the kitchen chair with a soulful sigh.

"Well it sucks." She remarked.

"I remember you telling me once that he was 'no-one'" He quirked a brow, stirring the scrambled eggs he was making.

"He's my best friend now." She pressed her lips together.

"What about Taylor?" He enquired.

"Well we're getting there…" She admitted. "But it's not the same." _Especially not now that me and Troy slept together._

"I know." He nodded, sliding a plate of eggs, toast and bacon before her. "But try and eat."

"I miss him, dad. I'm not a stupid lovesick little girl who won't eat," she rolled her eyes.

"Well that's good to know…"

"What are we doing today?" She hedged moodily. He'd taken them on some kind of outing every day of the holiday so far in some kind of 'making up for lost time' _thing_.

"Ah…I'm not sure. What do you feel like doing?"

"Staying in. Sulking." She answered honestly.

"He'll be back in two days." He reasoned.

"Fine. Then tell me where we're going so I can pick an outfit." She allowed.

"Well…I have an idea but I want to speak to you about it first." He broached.

"Oh?" She looked up, intrigued.

Philip swallowed and bit his lower lip, then took a breath for courage. "I have a friend, in the business. He's a doctor but a cosmetic surgeon. I talked to him about your treatment after the accident and how you're not…" he paused, grasping for words. "How you're not entirely happy with how you healed."

Gabi frowned, wondering what her father was suggesting. "You made an appointment with a plastic surgeon?" She whispered.

"No, Gabi, don't jump to conclusions…" He denied quickly. "I confided in a friend and he asked me if you maybe want to meet him and tell him about your concerns. He didn't promise anything, he just said it might help to talk about it…"

"I already talk about it." She clipped. "With my boyfriend."

Philip closed his eyes and sighed out. "I know, but I thought maybe you wanted to see if there was anything else out there…"

"Am I that ugly?" She asked, standing, tears sliding down her face.

"No! Gabi, you're beautiful, I told you that. This was all for you…" He was talking to her back as she fled to her room and slammed the door.

/

"It was a bad idea." Philip admitted as he sat on Gabi's bed and stroked her arm after she had finally let him in, albeit laying on the bed despondently afterwards.

"I was just accepting this is who I am…" She sniffled, her heart burning with the fear of opening up to her father.

"I thought I was doing the right thing…I thought you were still struggling." He excused.

"I think I always will somehow," she mused. "When someone sets out to destroy you, it takes a while to comprehend everything."

"I'm sorry," he offered.

"I know you were trying to help." She sat up and curled her arms around him, seeking a hug.

"I love you Gabriella. I'm so grateful for you." He sighed out.

"Unlike mom," she smarted.

"Your mother…" he paused, searching for words to comfort her. "She was always a little bit fickle, a little shallow. While you were young it was great. She took you shopping and played dress-up."

"I loved those pageants; she always made me feel so pretty…" Gabi agreed, looking up.

"But when you really needed her, she left. And she left me too. I am just so glad she left you with me. I'm sorry I wasted our time, Gabi. I want us to talk about how Elaine leaving has affected you…"

Gabi shrugged, such a tiny gesture that spoke so many words. "I felt like I was too ugly to love for a while," she began quietly.

"You're so beautiful," he cut in quickly. "And so strong…I'm so proud of you."

"Troy made me realise that how I look is not important. He made me realise other people matter more." She explained.

"He sounds like a nice boy." Philip assured.

_Nice boy _might not be the words Gabi would choose but she smiled all the same at her father's description.

"Can we go to the park today and play on the swings?" She beseeched.

"Of course we can," Philip smiled back, ruffling her hair affectionately.

/

The noise woke her as soon as she heard it; her door clicking open. She guessed her dad was sneaking into her room for some reason but when she raised her head and squinted groggily, it was a boy's form she saw in the slit of light, not her father's silhouette.

"Troy?" She groaned croakily, wondering if she was dreaming.

"Hey," She could hear the smile in his voice as he crept toward her. "I missed you…"

Gabi sat up quickly and then rose to her knees as he reached her bed, reaching to hug him around the neck.

"Ohmygod it's midnight…" She whispered.

"I know, your dad nearly killed me," he remarked jokily.

"He let you in?" She was shocked.

"Yeah…" He chuckled, leaning back to brace her face with his gentle hands. "I've missed looking into those eyes." He smiled.

She pursed her lips and blushed a little. "My hair is like a birds nest…"

"No, it's not." He was still smiling, letting his fingers brush through the sleep-roughened strands.

"Are you coming in?" She enquired of her bed, shuffling back to make room.

"Do you think your dad would castrate me if he found me here tomorrow?" He wondered.

"He let you in," she argued. "Besides it's already tomorrow."

He grinned and shrugged off his jacket while she turned on her bedside lamp and he levered down onto the mattress beside her, smiling softly as she rubbed her eyes cutely. He hadn't _stopped _smiling since he got here.

"So do I get a kiss?" He asked openly, rolling toward her to do just that.

She smiled patiently and let her lips touch his briefly, bringing back the warmth she knew so well while they played little sensuous kisses to each other; eventually Gabi pulling back as she pressed her lips together.

"So, how's your mom?" She asked nervously.

"Truth be told, more wrapped up in 'Mark', her new boyfriend, than interested in my life but it was nice to see her." He added.

"I missed you." Gabi ventured vulnerably.

"Hey, what happened?" He asked, reading her eyes.

"My dad said I could see a plastic surgeon – if I wanted." She admitted her worry.

"_What_?" He spat, his mouth opening to an 'o'.

"I was upset at first, I thought he was saying I _need _surgery or something…" She mused.

"No…" He shook his head emphatically, hitching up to hug her.

"But he didn't mean that." She continued. "He just wanted me to know I could talk about it with someone who could maybe do something."

"Please don't, oh Gabriella, please swear to me you will never change a thing…" He begged, holding her tightly, then pulling back to touch her cheek with his thumb and forefinger.

"Troy…" She tilted her head bemusedly, half frowning half smiling at his reaction.

"I love you as you are, Gabi. Every part of you. Don't change a thing, you hear me?"

"He just thought I might feel better if I…"

"I love you." He said again over her.

"I get it, Troy," she smiled inanely, happy tears glistening her eyes as she kissed him on the lips. "I love you, too."

He sighed out with relief and held her gaze steady with his, kissing her tenderly when they couldn't stare without blinking any longer. "You're beautiful to me."

"I'm so glad your back." She hugged him as they settled down in the bed together.

"Did you miss my handsomeness?" He asked cheekily.

"No not really…" She teased sleepily.

"Well, that sucks…" He mused beside her, reaching his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer.

"I missed talking to you. I missed this." She snuggled.

"I'm back now," he smiled.

"Until next term." She sighed softly.

"Actually…I'm back for good," he husked. "I'm staying with my dad full time."

"Troy," Gabi gasped, leaning up to try and look at him.

"I'll still see mom, I'll go in holidays but I asked to stay here with you." He explained.

"I can't believe you did that…" She awed.

"I kinda wanted to," he smiled lopsidedly.

"You…ohmygod," She was still trying to comprehend his sacrifice.

"Hey, don't freak out on me…" He chuckled softly, then raised his brows when she kissed him quickly.

"You're amazing, Troy." She enthused.

"Took you long enough to notice…" He grinned, training her fringe back with gentle fingers.

"I noticed." She blinked shyly. "I noticed the first day you followed me home how amazing you are."

"Wait…what?" He smiled confusedly. "You never told me you'd seen…"

"I saw it all. Only I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid of letting you in." She admitted sheepishly.

"I hope I changed your mind."

"You know you have," she admonished. "You mean so much to me."

"This is nice…" He whispered, making her smile as she comforted herself for sleep again. "This is perfect."

_This is w__here I want to be. _Troy thought as his eyes drifted shut and Gabi's arm cuddled him before she fell asleep too. _This is where I belong__._

_/_

**Epilogue**

"Go, go, go!" Troy called as he launched Gabriella across the smooth tarmac of the basketball court where they were practising her skateboarding.

She wobbled a little and squealed, then tentatively ventured a toe down to power her on when the board slowed.

"Atta girl!" He encouraged as he cupped his hand to his mouth to carry his voice.

He smiled inanely to himself at her hesitancy; loving that she hadn't lost that part of her even with the strides she was making into confidence.

She wore her hair up now; without pause and she still hated it when people stared but the touch of his hand to hers; joining their fingers often placated her enough not to care. That wordless bond they shared still existed and he felt assured because of it.

"I know that look…"Another female voice accused affectionately as Troy pursed his lips and let down his folded arms, caught watching his girlfriend by Taylor, the new friend in Gabi's life. Or an old one, rejoined.

"What look?" he enquired, his brows lifting innocently.

"The look of love," Taylor smiled knowingly.

"Well you and Chad _are _the experts," he batted back quickly, elbowing her gently where she blushed.

"Okay, so we fell in love," she admitted, then looked up to him. "I'm glad she forgave me," she added poignantly as Gabi came full circle and headed back toward them.

"She's awesome like that," Troy shared, swallowing with pride as Gabi jumped off the board and ran toward him; throwing her arms around his neck and giggling excitedly.

"I did it! I did a full lap!" She announced, kissing him full on the lips as Taylor smirked at her friends' show of affection.

"Try and keep it PG for the children," she teased and Gabi looked at her with a soft apologetic smile.

"Sorry Tay," she offered, not letting go of Troy Taylor noted and he held her just as comfortably.

"Its okay I'm used to you by now," she allowed. "I best go find my partner so we can go for shakes," she excused herself from what looked likely to be a slushy moment between her friends.

"So…" Troy pressed his forehead to Gabi's and smiled, allowing just a small meaningful kiss before she spoke.

"So?" she arched her brow.

"Do we get to 'study' later?" he asked, using their code word for making out.

Gabi gave him one of her patient looks. "It's Sunday, Troy. We really have to study for real," she reminded him and he tightened his arms and kissed her again.

"Really?"

"Really," she held firm, determined not to let his blue eyes win her over.

"OK, fine, I'll have you to thank when I have amazing grades," he accepted.

"That you will," she agreed and walked beside him, linking their hands again as they met up with their friends.

"Dude, have you tried the flip on that curve?" Chad pointed to the ramp in the skate park beside the court.

"Yeah, it's awesome," he agreed easily, flashing a grin at Gabi as he took his board to prove his point and she folded her arms at his showing off.

"He knows I love it when he does that…" she sighed to Taylor as she frowned at her stance.

"So?" Taylor didn't grasp.

"So we have to study tonight….we have no time to make out and he's trying to persuade me," she shared.

Taylor gave her a mischievous smile. "So go now…"

"But we're having lunch with you and Chad…" Gabi argued.

"Not anymore…" Taylor announced, then walked over and took Chad's hand. "We're going now," she told him and to his credit he accepted her instruction with a mere glance at Gabi then Troy before leaving the duo alone.

"Hey where'd Chad go?" Troy asked out of breath from his stunts. "Did he see my half-moon?"

"They left," Gabi explained, swallowing. "He saw it."

"Huh…what's up?" He asked, confused and bewildered.

"Uh…I…uh…" Gabi faltered, never having taken the lead before with Troy and mostly letting him express his need for more and taking her cue from there.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned and dropping his skateboard to cup her face and she couldn't help the happy giggle that bubbled up her throat.

"Nothing! I love you so much," she added affectionately.

"That's what this is about?" He enquired; cottoning on.

"Taylor gave us a pass on lunch…" she shared. "I'd like to…you know…spend the afternoon with you…" she hedged.

"Gabriella Montez, whatever happened to studying?" he faked his shock.

She blushed, quickly cuddled into his arms as he affectionately hugged her. "I love it when you do that," he complimented.

"You shouldn't have done your skateboard trick," she mumbled into his chest, disarmed by his all-encompassing hug.

"Let's go," he decided, sweetly taking her hand again and doting on her with loving looks as they made their way away from the park.

"What's _she _doing here?" Gabi ovalled her mouth at the sight of blonde hair; a familiar sight if not for a few months after her expulsion from school.

Troy frowned at the sight of Sharpay on his porch. "I don't know. Wait here…"

He walked onto the veranda and squinted at the girl he had come to hate as she stood from the love seat.

"Hi, Troy."

"What are you doing here Sharpay? You're not welcome at my house…" he warned.

Sharpay nodded, her face bare of make up and her usual brightness faded.

"I know; I would feel the same if I were you," she swallowed.

"So why are you here?" He asked again tersely.

"To say sorry. For everything. I made a lot of mistakes and one of them was hurting you…"

"And my girlfriend," he added angrily. "Just go."

"I have to this, Troy. I have to…they won't let me go back to school otherwise…" she begged.

He laughed shortly without humour and gave her a look as if to say 'are you kidding me?', and then he turned to look behind him at his waiting girlfriend, remembering Gabi's vulnerable pose when he had walked away and he winced as he realised she was no longer waiting for him.

He pursed his lips and tried to think of words that covered the situation. "You called my girlfriend and ugly beast in front of a thousand people and you expect me to stand here and offer my forgiveness?" he managed, quickly turning to head after Gabi. At the steps he turned and smirked at her. "Don't ever come back here," he added before he ran.

/

"Is she here?" Troy checked with Philip Bolton; looking up under his lashes at the man.

Philip nodded. "In her room, is everything okay?" the older man checked and Troy nodded.

"I think so…"

"Go on up," Philip gave the boy his permission, shutting the door after him and wondering what had happened to cause Gabi to come in and shut herself away; followed closely by Troy coming by with obvious concern etched on his face.

/

"What do you want?" Gabi asked as Troy crept into her room after knocking.

"I want to know why you ran off like that…" he offered. "I thought we got past that," he added, aiming for humour and failing as she remained silent.

"Obviously not," she derided eventually.

He circled the bed where she lay on her side despondently. "I told Sharpay to shove it…" he offered, standing at the foot of the bed with his hands in his pockets.

Gabi twitched in painful memory of the last time she had seen the girl; thinking how far she had come to get over that night and yet one small thing could still send her reeling.

"What did she want?" she ventured curiously.

"To apologise," he shared honestly.

"And you told her to go?" she checked, frowning.

"I told her not to bother coming back, too," he added, almost amusedly.

Gabi looked at him, stood there at the end of her bed, his boasting smile doing something funny to her insides.

"Thank you," she offered, not sure what else to say, other than that seeing the blonde girl had made her feel as destroyed as she did the day she gave out the awards.

"So can I join you?" Troy swallowed, fighting to keep his tone light; knowing how hard Gabi had been hit at seeing her nemesis.

He didn't wait for a reply; he knew in Gabi's world sometimes there wouldn't be one- but if she didn't want him there then she would soon enough tell him so he took her silence for affirmation and kicked off his shoes and jacket and spooned her vulnerable form on the bed; his arm going across her body securely.

"Tell me what you're thinking?" he husked, brushing her hair back so he could get closer.

"That I'm being stupid for even being upset," she confessed.

"No, that's not stupid at all," he argued softly.

She sighed. "It's been three months you know? And I never thought about how I'd feel having to see her again…I never thought I _would _have to see her again…"

"I was as shocked as you seeing her there…I guess she didn't think we'd be together. I guess she expected to catch me on my own…"

"So she could steal you," Gabi sulked, but she was kind of joking too and Troy couldn't help his smile.

"Well that failed," he derided, rubbing his fingers up and down her forearm where his shadowed.

Gabi twisted and bit into her lips indecisively, words laying on her tongue but too shy to ask them.

"What's on your mind, Gabi?" he asked knowingly.

She flipped onto her back and then over again, coming to face him.

"It took me back to that day and I thought I was over it. I was just getting the hang of showing myself to people- I was just learning to love myself."

"And seeing Sharpay again took that away?" he guessed, brushing her hair back soothingly, supporting her while they talked about the difficulty she faced every day in showing who she really was.

"It made me wonder if I had come that far at all when she can take me down with just one look…"

Troy cuddled her into his arms and kissed her hair. "She can't take you down anymore."

"This is just me being stupid, right?" she wondered.

"No, this is the past haunting us. But it_ is_ the past, Gabi. Sharpay can't hurt you anymore and you're still that strong girl I always saw inside you…"

"I don't feel strong," her voice wobbled and he knew tears would follow.

"Hey, shh…" he kept his arms around her and let her cry out the shock of seeing Sharpay on his veranda.

"We can't stay in bed, Troy," she complained to try and break her sadness.

"Oh I don't know," his lips twitched with a hidden smile.

She looked up and giggled, sniffling as her tears ended. He smiled down at her and brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek to remove the wet trail her tears had left.

"Feeling better?" He checked and she nodded, swallowing.

"You really told her not to come back?"

He nodded.

"I love you, Troy," she leaned forward to kiss him a little.

"You're my girl, GM," He smiled back, grasping her ring and fingering it.

"We have to study now," she told him in a serious tone.

Troy rolled his eyes and went to roll backwards, finding her fingers grasping his t-shirt to pull him back towards her. He raised his brows questioningly.

"I mean _study_," she said before letting her smile break through.

/


End file.
